H - Humor

I didn't know what I was going to write about today until I looked at our Easter pictures.

HUMOR!

The Martens' Gang has plenty of humor to go around.

We wear silly hats...

and create silly toys (Nerf darts on sunglasses).

We find humor in simple things...

and accessorize in a big way.

No fun to be had? We make our own fun!

We play at the mall (with shopowner's approval)...

and we play in the rain.

(You won't be seeing me in a swimsuit anytime soon!)

Our creativity is a little wacky...

and so are our snowmen.

We make monkey faces...

and wear crazy glasses.

We laugh at inappropriate moments

(reading a sentimental letter from my son)...

and make any formal occasion a time for laughter.

All in all, we're just our version of a normal family.

G - Greetings

Greetings of Happy Easter feels a little like cheating, but we celebrated Easter with my parents yesterday because today I work a 12 hour day at church. I'm honored to serve our families today, but needed to cut back somewhere to get through the weekend so you get an abbreviated A-Z Challenge post.

 He is Risen!

Our pastor says, "Follow a dead savior and you'll end up just like him."

I say, "Follow a risen Savior and you'll have eternal life."

Have a Blessed Easter!

F - Family

Have you ever read a blog and wondered who the writer was talking about? You knew it was someone close to them and that maybe if you followed better you'd know, but you know...their life is not your life, etc. :)

I've often written about my family and wondered if the reader would know who I was talking about. We give incomplete pictures of who we are on blogs, sometimes out of security, sometimes from a lack of time to share it all, sometimes we just don't want you to know! Am I right?

Today I thought I'd share my family with you so that way if you follow, you'll know a little more about this crazy gang.

This is me (Angie) and my husband, Mark.

Mark was born and raised in the San Diego area (a true CA boy) and I was born and raised in central Illinois (a true Midwesterner). We met at a small Bible college in Wisconsin in the 80's and had a terribly interesting romance. (That's another post...R?)  We've been married 23 years and as the President of our College said to my Dad one day (when my Dad called to find out about this boy), "Life will always be an adventure with Mark." It's true! It's been an adventure, but one taken with my best friend. I couldn't imagine life without him.

The first addition to our family was Ashley. Ashley has Mark's temperament - easy going, quiet, with a touch of mischief/adventure. She was the easiest child to raise and I'm pretty sure the Lord knew I'd need that first if I were to have any more. Ashley is now almost 22 years old and will be graduating from college next month. She is married to her best friend, TJ, and they will be starting seminary this coming fall.  When I look at this picture of her I'm proud of the woman she has become. She's the sweetest person I know and I wish you all could meet her.  She writes over at Ridges and Ripples.

Ah, Rhett! My only son is very dear to my heart. This boy, in some ways, is a clone of me. We're both talkative, emotional, silly, and always working on a project that we probably won't see through to the end. Sometimes we will; it's a crapshoot.  Rhett's name means enthusiastic and he is that about everything he does in life. It's never dull when he's around!  Rhett is an eagle scout and can hang with the boys, but he's just as comfortable with the girls since he's had three sisters.  His passions are music and writing and he will be taking some general studies courses in college in the fall so he has a little more time to figure out what direction he wants to go with his major.  This 18-year-old boy loves the Lord and loves discussing spiritual things. I am a very proud mom and if you ever get to meet Rhett, you'd like him right away.  He writes at  My Imaginative Scribbles.

This sums it up!

Katie (Katherine Grace.) Katie blessed our family when Rhett was 8 1/2 years old. We didn't think we'd have any more children so her name, which means pure grace, was a perfect fit.  Sometimes we think it means we're supposed to give her pure grace 'cause this little girl is a dynamo. She has a firstborn's personality! She is a little planner/campaigner. She goes to sleep with plans and wakes up with plans. She likes to lead her crowd of friends, which includes other first born personalities so it can be challenging at times. We love Katie's drive and think that she will do something special in life. Besides wanting to take on the world this little girl, who is 10, has the softest heart. She is compassionate to others when they are hurt and remorseful when she's in the wrong.  I wish I could be more like her. She's a sweet blessing from the Lord.

And then there's Tara. Tara is the stereo-typical baby of the family. She is 15 months younger than Katie and will turn 9 this month.  She has a quick wit and an adventuresome personality. She is also very much like her Dad.  She dreams of becoming a Veterinarian and she also dreams of jumping out of a plane. She is easy to get along with (so she often goes along with Katie's plans), but she has her own mind and stands firm when needed.  Tara was born to live on the farm, but you'd have to pull her off the computer to get her outside. She just loves action/adventure wherever she can find it.  Tara has a special place in Momma's heart as my baby girl.

Here they are. Silly kids!

Thought you'd like to meet TJ before I close. TJ is a foot taller than my daughter, but is a gentle teddy bear of a guy. He loves the Lord and loves his family. He is good to Ashley and their first year of marriage has only deepened their bond. TJ has gotten Ashley into rock climbing and skiing and Ashley has expanded his food repertoire. TJ gets our family's goofy humor and fits right in. I couldn't have asked for a better son-in-law. I'm so thankful that the Lord has been gracious to give us a son so easy to love.

Do you feel like you know us any better? 

The Lord has been gracious to the Martens' gang and I am thankful for my family!

E - Entertaining

Today we had 9 families (30 people) out to the farm for a picnic lunch, face painting, Easter Egg hunt and smores. We had a fabulous day with great weather. One of our friends even brought us more chickens. I think we're up to 42 chicks. Wow. Our city-friends enjoyed a day with the chicks, horses and lots of room to roam and play. It was fun sharing our home with them!

Here's a few snapshots from the day:

A little one finding an egg

Some big kids hiding eggs

Some music shared on the front lawn

Good friends enjoying the day together

 

D - Dog: Biscuit

I read a post the other night while checking out other blogs participating in the A-Z Challenge and I read about a family losing their 15-year-old-dog. I was in tears by the end of the post. It was so sweet and so sad. "D is for dog" was on my mind so I thought I'd write about my dog, Biscuit, today.

I am a cat person. :)

I really am, but I have a daughter who is very allergic to cats so we can't have any in the house. I even have to carry around medicine just in case she comes into contact with a cat. We really can't have one. Sad for me. Of course, this allergy-prone girl also loves animals of all kind so we wanted her to have a family pet. Last year for Tara's 8th birthday we gave her a rescued puppy. Biscuit was about 6 weeks old when we got her.

One happy girl and one tired puppy on their way home for the first time.

Everyone got to help with dog duty. (Here's Katie taking Biscuit out.)Biscuit was so small when she came to us that she couldn't even climb the stairs leading to the front door. Curbs were even a challenge.

She was tiny!

She settled in and loved cuddling up to anything soft...any material would do.(We should have realized that meant many of our fluffy items would be decimated over the coming year.)

Biscuit grew and grew and grew. Here she is enjoying the beginnings of a light snow.Yep, she has a shock collar which we use most often to "beep" (an audible sound) to remind her that she wants to obey.

Can we stay stubborn! 

She got so used to the beep that we now can point any remote towards her (Collar remote, TV remote, etc)and she will obey, but only if she's wearing the collar.

She's a smart one.

She is very alert and always on the lookout. Here she's looking for her buddies, the horses.

After fighting for dominance she and Faelyn (my daughter's dog) take a time-out.

Her naps very often occur on furniture she knows she's not supposed to be on. Can you see the attitude? She will lazily move to her bed when told, but if you leave the room for awhile, you'll get to shoo her off again. She lives for cushiness!

I absolutely LOVE my dog. She can be a handful, but nothing beats being greeted by Biscuit after a long day at work. She tolerates a lot of harassment by all of us, but shares the love freely. She is loyal and a great companion. She will spend hours with me in the sewing room, albeit, on the guest bed, but she loves her momma and momma loves her. I never would have thought I'd love a dog like I do, but she's stolen my heart.

I admit that I've had a night or two sitting watching tv and silently crying while petting my dog. The first time my husband asked, "What's wrong?" I had to admit that I don't look forward to the day Biscuit dies. She's only a year old, but I know our time together will not be long enough. Sappy, huh! Don't worry my man just rolled his eyes at me. :) He helps this emotional girl keep it real! 

To all the dog-lovers out there, I'm sorry I gave you a hard time for so long. I get it now.

D IS for Dog.

C - Chickens

Please, tell me you're not surprised.
Our chicken experiment is in full swing on the farm!

I have been letting the chicks outside a little each day. I sit in their corral while they're getting sun using the excuse that I'm sure an eagle or a fox will snatch them, when in truth, I just like sitting with them. It's good letter-writing and Vitamin D time! They are very sweet! Here's a few snapshots from today.

Still trying to figure out if they want to go outside

A chick will settle down in your arms, but not for long.

They are so soft!

Beautiful color

Looking for a treat

They love to peck at your toes if your wearing flip flops. Ouch!

B - Books (My Children's Favorites)

As a homeschool family we read A LOT of books.

I thought I'd share some of our favorites.

Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and Sheila McGraw
was introduced to me when I was in a Mother's of Preschoolers (MOPS) group. This book makes me cry every time. Both parents and kids love it!

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
is a favorite book from my own childhood! Sometimes I feel like the story reflects my own life - moving from the city to the country.

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
was one of the first books that got my son interested in reading.
We've recommended it to many boys throughout the years. (girls too.)
There are two other books after this first one:
On The Far Side of the Mountain and
Frightful's Mountain, but we haven't read those...yet.

King Bidgood's In The Bathtub by Audrey Wood
is such a funny book and the illustrations are amazing!

Three Little Kittens by Paul Galdone
is such a wonderful version of the classic poem.
Paul Galdone's illustrations are so comical; the kitten's expressions will make you laugh without even having to read the words. We love this author's books - all of them!

Piggie and Gerald books by Mo Willems
are the best! For early readers the words are easy to read. What I love most about these books is that they can't be read without expression. They really help your kids learn to read enthusiastically. We still pull out these books for laughs. They are unexpected and sweet.

Another popular series  at our house is
Babymouse books by Matthew Holm and  Jennifer L. Holm.
One of my daughters can sit and read these for hours and she owns them all. They are comic book style stories that appeal to elementary age girls.

I saved the best for last!

Miss Fannie's Hat by Jan Karon
is a delightful (and true) story about Jan Karon's grandmother at Eastertime. We choose this book to give as a gift whenever we get the chance. It is a lovely story with beautiful illustrations. If you've loved the Mitford Series books (Jan's adult fiction), you will love her children fiction, as well. Hint: if you can find one of the hardcovers that include a CD of Jan Karon reading the story, spend the extra to get it! It's extra special!

A - Ant Poison

Isn't that a catchy post title! Startin' off the A-to-Z challenge with a show stopper. Sigh.

We've had trouble with ants in our home ever since moving to the farm in September. I had tried many retail remedies and nothing seemed to work. While on Pinterest I found a pin on ant poison so I thought I'd give it a try.

It's been a great success!

(Hope you've had your dinner already...sorry.)

Here's the direct link to the food.com page that was pinned on Pinterest.