Yes, Again

I haven't posted much lately, and you may be wondering what has been keeping us so busy. (Believe me, we have been busy.) The answer is this: We've been moving. Yes, again.

Isaac has for some time been developing a serious interest in gardening and farming. This interest has only continued to grow in him, and he really desires to have a farm with a huge garden, chickens, milk goats, perhaps a milking cow, and bees. Mom and Dad really wanted to give him a chance to pursue his dream, so when God provided a house with eight acres for us to rent in a town just 20 miles north of our where we then lived, they jumped on the opportunity.


So we moved. And now we're living in a beautiful home on eight acres and we are preparing to make this place a farm. God has so richly blessed us. This house and property is so much more than we could have possible imagined! We are so thankful to Him.

Packing up the old house

The new house

The barn, chicken coop, and corral

The guys on the property

 

More posts and pictures to come.  And perhaps they will be a little more... farm-ish.  :)

~Kiah

180!

Today Living Waters released their new, moving documentary on abortion!  It is truly amazing and I cannot wait to see how God uses it to change lives and save souls.

I beg you to take just half an hour to watch 180 and see eight people go from being pro-choice to pro-life in seconds, all because they were asked a single question.

 

Please pass this on to as many people as you can.  This is such an important message and it needs to be shared with the world!

~Kiah

A Walk in the Woods

Photos courtesy of Kristen Bowers

Only two weeks left until Courageous!

Courageous, Sherwood Picture's newest movie is coming out in theaters in just two weeks, September 30!  Our whole family is waiting in impatient expectation!  We're going to go see it on opening weekend (to support them) and, if you can, I would encourage you to do the same!  To see what I've said before about Courageous and how long I've been waiting for this movie click here.  To see what the movie is all about and to watch the trailer go to www.courageousthemovie.com

~Kiah

The Hiding Place

Recently, I read for the first time The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom.  I cannot believe that it took me this long to read one of the best books ever.  The Hiding Place is definitely one of my all-time favorites now, and I'm so glad that we bought it for my school because now I can read it over and over again.

The true story is about the life of Corrie Ten Boom, an extraordinary woman of faith who lived during World War II.  Through the German occupation of Holland, through the hiding of Jews and daily danger of being discovered, through life in a concentration camp-- through it all the faith that Corrie and her family had in their Savior not only carried them through, but even gave them joy in the worst of situations.  The Hiding Place is an incredible story of God's faithfulness, forgiveness, and love.

I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed The Hiding Place.  It was so encouraging to read of Corrie Ten Boom's life, her faith, and the way God was faithful to her over and over again, even in unthinkable ways.  If you're dying for a good book to read (as I often am) go get The Hiding Place.  I know that it will be as encouraging and enjoyable to you as it was to me.

~Kiah

My Grandad, the Centenarian

Today is a day to celebrate.  Today is a day to celebrate because 100 years ago today my great-grandfather was born!  That's right, my grandad is now 100 years old.

 Grandad and his wife Martha in 1959

Grandad and me and Isaac in 2000

 

Grandad at 100 years old

Happy Birthday Grandad!  We love you!

~Kiah

Proverbs 9:10-11  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.  For by me your days will be multiplied and years will be added to your life.

180 Movie

Hello Friends,

I am so excited to announce that Living Waters has produced a new documentary, called 180, centered on abortion. The film is powerful and moving, and I believe (as many others do) that it has great potential to save lives and save souls. On September 26, Living Waters will make it available on the 180 website to view for free. They will also be selling the DVD for $1.00 each. Their goal is to get this movie into the hands of every household in America and beyond. To view the trailer and to see how you can help spread the news about this life-changing film go to www.180movie.com.


~Kiah

It's Been Awhile...

It's high time for me to post something, I know. I have several ideas for future posts, so hopefully you'll see some new posts on here soon, but let's start with an update.

Most recent picture of our family

Our summer sped right by and ended up being quite a bit busier than I had expected. It was fun though, and a welcome break from school. We're back in school now and on a regular schedule again. I have to say (as I do every year), even though I enjoyed our lovely summer break, I'm loving having a normal life again, with schedules and school.

Isaac and me in the school room (which just happens to be his bedroom)

This being my last year of school, we (my parents and I) started thinking last year about my life after school. After a lot of thinking, prayer, and research I finally decided to enroll in an online Medical Transcription course. So, I'm taking that as a part of my school this year. The course should take less than a year, and then I will be able to get a job working from home as a medical transcriptionist. I'm really excited about this. When we took the steps to check this course out and enroll in it, God really brought everything together in a way I never could have imagined or planned. Also, medical transcription is a perfect occupation for me, as I desire to live at home with my parents until (if God wills it) someday I am married and can raise a family of my own, and medical transcription will allow me to work from home with fairly flexible hours. Praise God for His sovereign will and the way He works it out in our lives!

Anyway, that's the newest and biggest item in my life. I am looking forward with excitement to the changing of seasons and everything that comes with it, especially apple season!  I can't wait to start canning again this year!

Ok, this is a totally random picture, but I just had to post it!  Mom and I went to a little coffee house in town a couple of weeks ago, and the coffee was delicious, not to mention beautiful! (I personally thought it was much better than Starbucks, which is saying something.)

In Christ,
~Kiah

My Daddy's Birthday Surprise

My precious Daddy turned forty-five last month, and to celebrate, we gave him a surprise! Our family is pretty close and we don't ever keep secrets from each other, so this was really a challenge for us, me especially.  We did it though in the end, and he was very surprised and happy!

I won't explain to you how we did, (because it was very complicated) but we ended up getting him on an island on a beautiful lake and surprised him with his gift-- a canoe!  We ended up spending the afternoon canoeing around the island with my Uncle Tim, Aunt Kris, and cousin Mariah who brought their canoe as well.  Afterward, we went home and had hamburgers, watermelon, and brownies. 

Daddy before he had discovered the surprise (it was on the other side of the island).

Can you guess?  Yes, he just saw it.

The surprise

Can you believe how gorgeous this lake is?!?!

Uncle Tim, Aunt Kris, and Mariah in their canoe.

Us in our canoe.

The other side of the lake, with very different scenery.

~Kiah

Homemade Yogurt

My brother is a big dairy fan.  He loves milk, butter, yogurt, and especially cheese.  A couple of weeks ago, he decided that he wanted to make some homemade yogurt!  We tried it, and it turned out really well!  I was actually surprised at how easy it was, and how well it turned out!  In this post, I'll just be outlining the steps of the process and showing you some pictures that we took.  If you would like to learn the specifics of it all, and how it works, you can go to the website where we learned to make it, by clicking here. 

Step 1:  Pour milk (we used whole milk) into four quart sized mason jars.

Step 2:  Place the jars into a pot of water with a dishrag at the bottom (to keep the jars from wobbling around and breaking) and bring to a boil.  Place your thermometer into the water to sterilize it.

Step 3:  Boil until your milk comes to a temperature of 185 degrees.

Step 4:  When your milk has heated to 185 degrees, turn your heat off, take the jars out of the water, put the lids on, and transfer to a sink of cold water.  Your objective here is to cool the milk down to 100 degrees.

Step 5:  When the milk has cooled to 100 degrees, add 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt to each jar.

Step 6:  Put the lids back on the jars, and place them in a cooler with towels and your pot of hot water (this is to keep the jars and their contents nice and warm).  Put the lid on the cooler.  Now is the waiting part.  You can leave your jars in here for 4 - 24 hours depending on how you like the taste of the yogurt.  We left ours in for about 6.

Step 7:  Place the jars in the freezer for one hour.

Step 8:  Enjoy!

Our homemade yogurt with homemade granola

~Kiah