Church Lunch

Today was our turn in serving church lunch, along with Andy and Suzy.  We had lots of willing hands to do the work and are thankful it is behind us for another year. 

 

Andy slices the cucumbers.

 Preparing meat, cheese, and veggies plates and the fruit/veggie bowls.

 Suzy and I and our girls spent a couple hours yesterday washing, slicing, preparing and grouping food items, which made everything run so smoothly this morning.  It was worth the time....

 Alex and Beau sliced all the buns and now begins the process of filling the trays.

 Like I said, lots of willing helping hands putting all the sweets on the trays.  (Megan, Sierra, Bethany, Beth, Beri, Mary, Moriah and Alex)

 My aunts washing and drying dishes at the sink.

 I have lots of fond memories with A. Elaine, so it was so fun having her here when we served!  Visiting with her this weekend felt like I was with Grandma Broquard in the room again!

Thanks to all who helped!!!  Until next year.......

~Wee

Another Summer Project

Since our chicken coop was built in the vicinity of where our fire ring is and not wishing to smoke them out every time we wanted a fire or had to burn something, we decided (a vision I've had for quite awhile) to put in a fire pit as an extension off our patio.  We started about 4 p.m., Saturday afternoon and were adding the river pebbles around the stepping stones around 10 p.m.~~ 6 hours from start to finish - not too bad!

 

We had to dig up and remove all the sod first......

 ....then decide the width of the pit and the placement of the stepping stones around it.  Alex worked to get the first row of the pit level while the girls and I dug out more and more and more sod......

 Between bouts of rain about every day thereafter, we attempted to enjoy the warmth of a fire. 

 So happy with the finished project!  Now we can enjoy a campfire setting anytime we want without smoking out our chickens!

Come on over and we'll roast marshmallows together!

~Wee

An Afternoon at Parkview Field

Every summer we get (at least) one Tin Caps game in, thanks to the Library's summer reading program and the free tickets the girls get from that!

 

Right at the beginning of the game, the Tin Caps questioned the ref's call of a possible home run.  Ruling stood.....no home run.

 Along with their free tickets, they each receive a hot dog, drink, chips, and a backpack.  It sure is a rewarding program!

 Johnny entertaining the crowd.

 And a view of downtown Ft. Wayne.

Tin Caps lost 4-8 (or something like that).

~Wee

3 Shutouts Lead to a Championship!

Wow!  Another year of St. Joe soccer is behind us!  We were Team England this year.  Today was the end of the season tournament.  The first game of the day was against Spain.  We won 3-0.

 

Game 2 was against Ireland (the green team).  We won 1-0.

 

Pre-game huddle and prayer.

 Grace played left defense the entire day.

Winning the first two rounds of the tournament put us in the championship game!  We had a three hour rest until the start of that game.  The three girls relaxing.....

 Dark clouds were all around us throughout the day, but the rain (thankfully) held off.  We felt just a few sprinkles here and there, and with the cloud cover, the weather was just "beautiful" for soccer.  Here is an interesting cloud formation.

 Grace taking pre-game shots.  I LOVE this pic!

 The five captains (those who are "graduating" from the U-14 level) met with the refs before the championship game.  (Megan, Michael, Connor, Beau, and Grant)

 Both teams entering the field in a very formal matter.  :)  The game was against Brazil, which just happens to be the same team we have played against in the championship game the past two years, each time losing to them.  Will this 3rd time be a charm?

 Taking a knee while one of their players is down.

 Megan moves in on the ball.  LOVE this pic, too!

 And she sends it.....  Just look at the size of the guy moving in on her!  She wasn't going to let him take the ball away from her!

 Yes!  The 3rd time was a charm!  Team England won 1-0 to win 1st place!  They all worked really hard to get there!

 The three girls again:)

 The girls getting their trophies and medals.  Coach's words about Megan:  "With being one of the oldest players on the team, Megan was a mature leader for us.  She didn't let anyone get in her way.  She really hustled in practices and games.  I will miss her next year."

 Coach's words about Grace:  "Grace does a great job on defense.  If the opposing team is dribbling towards her, all of a sudden the ball will just be gone.  She doesn't let much get by her.  She gets rid of the ball.  I don't know how she does it; she just does.  I hope to see her back next year."

 Team England ~~ 2013 champs!

 Good job, girls!

It's a bit bittersweet for me as this was Megan's last game to play at the rec level.  I love watching the girls play and how they use the talents that God has blessed them with!!  We are so thankful for our home school team, the Fusion, as they can continue their skills on through high school.

And just for my own records :), the season's schedule:
Game 1 - v. Spain - won 6-4
Game 2 - v. Brazil - won 4-1
Game 3 - v. Portugal - won 4-0
Game 4 - v. Brazil - won 4-0
Game 5 - cancelled
Game 6 - v. Ireland - lost 3-4 (when all three girls were at girls' camp)
Game 7 - v. Portugal - won 3-2
Game 8 - v. Netherlands - lost 0-4

~Wee

On a Wild Chicken Chase

Our chickens seem to be very happy here.  They enjoy getting out and walking around the yard.  It has been so enjoyable sitting and observing them in their environment! 

 And because they seem to love our mulch -- digging, scraping, and pecking, unfortunately they are messing things up a bit.  So, we have since put up fencing around their home base, while still allowing them freedom to get out and roam.  Here are Midnight and Opi.

 It's time to go back inside their hut, so Leah and Grace are trying to get the job done.  Trouble is, Pixie is not cooperating!

 And while they're chasing the chicken Pixie around, Megan refills their water.   The girls have done a great job with the chores, and at times "fight" over who gets to do the honors.  So far, it's been a family affair, enjoyed by ALL of us!

~Wee

The Goot Coop

Several weeks ago, a plan started taking place.  Some friends of ours that are moving to Zambia at the end of the summer have been in the process of purging from their lives most of their earthly possessions.  This included their chickens.  We promised to give three of their flock a new home.

 

Alex had done lots of research online and checked out books from the library to come up with his own plans for our chicken coop.  In my opinion, he put the best of various designs or patterns into his own plan.  During any spare time that he had, construction started in the garage.  There, the basic frame was put together.



 As the boards were measured and cut, the girls help stain the wood.

Before the frame got too heavy, we moved it out of the garage and stained it, then moved it to where Alex finished building it.

 

Side walls to the "indoor" space were added, complete with windows for ventilation.  Grace is helping Alex as he starts on the nesting box. 

 

 After most of the side walls were on, next came the roof.  Here, we are making sure everything is even. 

Securing the roof.....

 

 

 

 The last steps before the chickens arrived were the installation of the screens, locks on the door, roosting bars, and their ramp.  Here is the mostly finished product!  We still have to add a few drawer and door handles and a lock on the nesting box. 

We picked up our chickens tonight from their temporary home and brought them to live with us here.

Megan's is the one with a gold neck and Leah's is black.

This is Grace's chicken.

 So far, they seem happy.  And our ultimate goal......eggs!

 In looking back over these pictures, I realize that I still missed much of the building process.  Oh well.......

~Wee