Shoes : September 2014

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Give a Caption!

This is Allison and Liz doing what they do best: "goofing off" :)

(the big red balls, by the way, are peeled tomatoes)

Anyone have a caption?!

Here is a picture to cheer you up. Rebecca (with a little help from Allison) got dressed up in a wild scarf and her sunglasses. I don't know who had the most fun-Rebecca or those of us who were watching her run around soaking up all the attention she was getting!

Daddy loves his sweet princess.

Mother's Day 2011

This year on Mother's Day, we drove the short distance to Grandma Bontrager's House to have dinner with the entire Bontrager clan (or at least all those who live nearby). The party totaled 37 people. It was a wonderful day of celebrating the gift of mothers.

There was time for some conversation in the Grandma's living room before dinner was served. The daughters, daughters-in-love, and granddaughters brought the food, so Grandma, who frequently cooks for large groups of people, was able to simply sit and relax.

The younger cousins had a grand time together outdoors.

Aunt Vesta and Aunt Linda planned a delicious menu of little meatloaves, cheesy potatoes, lettuce salad, jello salad, bread, and dessert. The children ate in the sun on Grandma's deck.

These little ladies are best buds! I'm afraid it took a little longer than usual for the to comsume their dinner, due to the jokes, playing, and general fun being enjoyed (when they should have been eating!;).

Dessert was banana pudding and cheesecakes:

a l m o n d

c h o c o l a t e

v a n i l l a with b l u e b e r r y topping

When Dad and his four brothers get together, there is no lack of lively conversation. As usual, there were plenty of crazy stories, jokes, and laughter!

Denver, Nicki, and Joshua played a "rousing" game of Rook, a Bontrager family favorite.

"Children have loved playing in that orchard for 40 years." ~Grandma Bontrager

It's true. My aunt remembers climbing the "Zaccheus tree" as a young girl (it's the one with branches that fork low in the tree as if they were designed to be climbed by small children.) On Sunday the tradition was carried on when some of the cousins spent part of the afternoon playing in the orchard.

0.0 But seriously ... good for you. funny vinyl decals bumper stickers

0.0 But seriously ... good for you. funny vinyl decals bumper stickers

ASIN : B00EBX20UK

Rating : 4.6

brand: Slap-Art

category: Decals

Description : NEW!

Features :

- Can be used on any flat surface such as windows, cars, laptops, and more!
- Printed with eco solvent ink on specialty vinyl.
- Removes with no residue or damage to the surface!
- Size: 5.5 inches in length x 3.35 inches in height
- gloss finish

Reebok Royal Glide Shoe (Infant/Toddler/Little Kid/Big Kid),White/Steel,3 M US Little Kid

Reebok Royal Glide Shoe (Infant/Toddler/Little Kid/Big Kid),White/Steel,3 M US Little Kid

ASIN : B00ATTQPRY

Rating : 4.7

brand: Reebok

category: Baseball Caps

Description : Reebok ROYAL GLIDE V54087 White Steele 3

Features :

Reebok ROYAL GLIDE V54087 White Steele

Reebok Women's ZQuick Running Shoe,Foggy Grey/Purple/Pure Silver/White,7 M US

Reebok Women's ZQuick Running Shoe,Foggy Grey/Purple/Pure Silver/White,7 M US

ASIN : B00E1BXINK

Rating : 4.5

brand: Reebok

category: Running

Description : Crank up the intensity in these women's running shoes. Featuring a sleek, lightweight design that starts with a no-sew upper and a lightweight Bootie Fit System that ensures a snug fit, these shoes offer protection and comfort. Plus, medial and lateral underfoot grooves let the insole expand for a smooth, quiet ride. An EVA midsole cushions your step and strategically placed CRTek rubber ensures long-lasting traction.

Features :

Internal stretch Bio-Sleeve
External NanoWeb support system
Anatomical last
Z-Series agility foam
Medial and lateral midsole cradle

Monday, September 29, 2014

Happy Anniversary!

Happy 19th Anniversary Daddy & Mommy!!

life update

Life on the farm recently has been full and lively. We are "in the thick" of planting season, which means that dad is spending hours in the fields, getting the crops in. There's also plenty of work to be done on the lawn and in the gardens. Many wonderful friends have visited this month (with some more dear ones arriving this evening). Plans for a two-month trip are in the works, with scheduling, packing, cleaning, and cooking to be done in preparation. In the midst of it all, we make memories as a family. Some of my favorite memories are never captured on camera or recorded in words. A few from this month:

-laughing so hard together while cleaning the bus late at night

-sitting in the living room together, buried in our books (this was my activity of choice for my birthday....so fun and rare!)

-racing with our cleaning responsibilities in the house (the girls)

-eating meals together. It doesn't happen every meal, but I'm grateful for a family that often shares home-cooked meals around a big table.

And now, here are a few pictures from the past few weeks, mostly photos of work around the farm:

Josh running the skid-loader.

these are two of the adorable kittens from the latest batch of kittens on the Bontrager Farm

Carson loves mechanics so much that he recently bought an old fourwheeler to fix up in his spare time. I don't quite get what's so fascinating for him about engines and parts. Maybe it's kinda like me and cooking? Only instead of messing around with food ingredients and recipes, he's working with nuts and bolts and engines and stuff.

Little Miss Rebecca makes a lovely grilled strawberry/cheese sandwhich.

Mother was gone the other weekend so one day for lunch we ate around our kitchen island. We can only eat there when several people are gone, and with mother + some of the guys gone, we fit! Goblets with yummy beverage upped the "amazing" factor of a lovely spring lunch. Of course the whoopie pies and grilled sandwhiches were quite scrumptious, too.

Typical life on the farm often involves very untypical happenings. =) You never know what is going to go wrong...
In the above situation...our vet came out and three of the boys are helping him with a procedure for one of our cows that had developed a twisted stomach. The twisted stomach resulted in lots of issues for the cow, unfortunately, so it had to be fixed.
The remedy? Flip the cow over on its back, and then make an incision in the stomach and literally "flip" the stomach. It sounds impossible but it works.

Taylor hanging on for dear life!!

We had friends visiting that evening so they got to watch.
Its always fun to have company here when we have farm stuff going on because then our company can get in on a few of the things farmers do and experience the true life on a farm!
{note: for those of you who are thinking that we are a bunch of crazy country folks that just abuse our animals with torturous procedures, you couldn't be further from the truth.You are just a little ignorant, so let me enlighten you. This cow would have died from a bloated stomach if something hadn't been done. And this is the procedure that works! She was injected with pain killer prior to the surgery so it really wasn't as painful as it appears. Just for the record}

Denver l o v e s our big rider lawn mower!

Taylor did a great job cleaning the porch.

"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men."

Colossians 3:23

posted by chelsy & allison

::Life update::

Greetings from Florida! I find myself with a few free minutes in which to update you all on our lives. I wish you could see the unique spot I have chosen. You see, while we are traveling, we never know where we will end up with internet connection. Sometimes it is a restaurant or motel, more often a church, and even a laundry mat has been known to meet our needs for wireless internet. Today, I am sitting next to a tree, surrounded by plants, and several yards away from a highway. I'm a little secluded, but that isn't exactly the goal. While in the bus, we discovered that there were several internet connections but I wan't able to get a strong enough signal. So I thought if I moved closer to a building, I might be able to connect. Consequently, I am sitting here enjoying the ocean air while listening to the cars whiz by just feet from where I'm sitting. Yes, I forgot to mention that I'm about 1/4 mile from the beach.

Life on the road continues to be............well, it's hard to describe. Yesterday was "one of those days". Mother lost her voice and had ceased even whispering so as to rest her voice. Dad got up on stage and said, "It's amazing how quiet it's been in the bus." (That sounded horrible-as if without all the noise Mom makes, things were so quiet!) He then went on to explain that everyone else has been talking quieter, too. In all seriousness, though, it's been very frustrating and hard. Imagine if, for a day or two, your mother had to write down (yes, as in, write down on a paper with pen), mouth, or communicate with hand motions everything she needed to say! Of course, this also means we did the entire concert last night without Mother's beautiful voice! But yesterday, some of us had a really sweet time together, praying and sharing how God is working in our lives. He absolutely does use trials like this one to to strip us of our pride and self-sufficiency and teach us to rely on Him alone. Right now He is doing a work in us. He's doing a work in me, and I'm grateful, even though it's really painful at times!

Thank you all for your prayers! God is answering. He's moving and working above what we could ever ask or think.

To G O D be the glory!

Daily Life on the Farm

This gives all of you, our dear blog readers, a peek into a normal, typical day on the farm.

People wonder what we do that makes us SO busy?

*smiles*

(I know, I shouldn't be laughing at that often-asked question....but if you all lived on our farm, you would laugh, too!)

On their Own

Carson, Joshua, Denver, & Taylor heading out to the campsite to camp out on their own!

Reebok Men's Smoothflex Running Shoe,Gravel/White/Techy Red,8 M US

Reebok Men's Smoothflex Running Shoe,Gravel/White/Techy Red,8 M US

ASIN : B006WWXVHY

Rating : 4.2

brand: Reebok

category: Lightweight

Description :