JAYNERS SCRUMPETS

The Beginning!

2011-09-22T15:38:00.000-06:00

Mabelle age 9

It has begun. This is the first week of school and it started a little rough. It always does and then we get into a groove about a month into it. I am doing a few new things this year and we have had a few complications but overall it is coming together quite well by the end of the week. "Few!" These are some of the girls drawing they have done while I am doing read aloud time with them. Every fall they get super excited about the new dry erase markers and madly draw as many pictures as possible till the markers lose their charm.

Kricket age7

This is suppose to be a drawing of our sweet friend Marae but Kricky hadn't yet added her hair to the full length and I nabbed it as me for my profile pic on facebook. I can hardly wait till next week because we will be getting the rest of the curriculum and I am also going to meet up with my best friend Jessie whom I haven't seen in over ten years and we will be going to a pastors wife's conference together which will be marvelous.
Have a wonderful day. Jayne

2011-07-27T09:39:00.002-06:00

When you pray you are not informing God, He is transforming you.

2011-07-10T22:36:00.002-06:00

Right now, make prayer your first choice not your last resort.
~Rick Warren

Should I homeschool??

2011-07-10T20:15:00.000-06:00

This is a video that I came across on You Tube. It covers some good thoughts on whether or not you should homeschool. Hope it is helpful to some of you.
Have a great day.
Jayne

2011-07-10T20:03:00.000-06:00

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
~ W.B. Yeats

A Poem For You Today!

2011-06-28T09:26:00.000-06:00

Excuse This House
Some houses try to hide the fact
That children shelter there.
Ours boasts of it quite openly,
The signs are every where.

For smears are on the windows,
Little smudges on the doors;
I should apologize I guess
For toys strewn on the floor.

But I sat down with the children
And we played and laughed and read,
And if the doorbell doesn't shine,
Their eyes will shine instead.

For when at times I'm forced to
Choose the one job or the other,
I want to be a housewife...
But first I'll be a mother.

~Author unknown

Daily Remembering to Take the Time

2011-06-20T14:40:00.000-06:00

"Look at your children in faith, and see how many people will be ministered to by your ministering to them. How many people will your children know in their lives? How many grandchildren are represented in the faces around your table now?"

~Rachel Jankovic~

Could You Win The Prize?

2011-06-14T08:15:00.001-06:00

Francis Chan has inspired me to do more, say more, seek God more than I ever thought I would. This is one of the most amazing videos. I hope you will dive in, the water is great!!
Have a beautiful day.
Jayne

Proverbs 31 encouragement

2011-05-31T09:16:00.000-06:00

A quick little video series to encourage you to do what God has called you to do. God has such an amazing plan for your life. Doing what He has called you to do will make each day not only livable but increasingly wonderful.
1. http://youtu.be/t31EfDqsKno
2. http://youtu.be/CBkbG4g-0Vw
3. http://youtu.be/t31EfDqsKno
4. http://youtu.be/ZVLDilivLA4
Take a half an hour to listen to these. They are about 7 minutes each. Have a wonderful day.
Love you, Jayne

Lovin My Girls!

2011-05-17T09:54:00.000-06:00

My wonderful friend Danielle took some pictures of me and my sweet girls and I loved how they turned out. I am a homeschool mom and love the thought of doing this yearly with my girls so that we remember how it was. What the school room was like. What books we read together. I so quickly forget and to document it with pictures helps me remember so much better. Have a beautiful day! Jayne
If you want to reach Danielle or see more of her work her web sight is http://cthemoonphotography.blogspot.com/

2011-05-11T18:46:00.000-06:00

I just heard a killer sermon (this was preached on Mother’s day) that was so inspiring to all people that I had to make it known to more than just me. For you, please take a half an hour and learn from Holly Furtick @ Elevation Church. Here is the link. http://www.elevationchurch.org/sermons/betterhalf/part2

Have a beautiful day.

Love you much, Jayne

MONTANA HOMESCHOOL CONVENTION!

2011-05-06T12:22:00.000-06:00

Montana is going to have a convention!!! August 12th and 13th. Yay! I always come home so excited. The link is montanahomeschoolconvention.com/ . I think Garren and I are going to venture to go!! I love these things!!
Such great inspiration for the coming year, and I love that it is right before the new season!!
Hope all you Montanans can make it.

Such an Amazing Gift

2011-05-06T09:58:00.000-06:00

Homeschool mom, when you chose to marry your husband, you were choosing to make him your first priority in all things. I want to challenge you to choose your husband again. Choose him first. The best homeschooling and the best mothering is borne out of an overflow of a strong, committed marriage. Loving your husband is a choice. Seeing him as God's gift to you is a powerful thing.
~ Heidi St. John in the book, The Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to Romance Nurturing Your Marriage Through the Homeschool Years.

Curriculum Reviews

2011-05-03T19:36:00.000-06:00

This is a great sight on different curriculum reviews. I was blown away with the list of all the different curriculum possibilities.
http://www.homeschoolreviews.com/default.aspx

I am looking forward to working through My Fathers World in the coming season. The link for MFW is http://www.mfwbooks.com/.

I think picking a curriculum is one of the harder parts of homeschooling and yet fun and exciting. Hope this helps, figure out the puzzle of it all.

Take care and have a great evening with your sweet kiddo's.
Jayne

Spelling!! Yikes!

2011-05-03T12:46:00.000-06:00

I heard this is a great spelling book if you child has a hard time remembering words. Diane Craft spoke very highly of it in her video Teaching the Right Brain Child. Which was a real eye opener for me. The video was a little out of date but the concepts and ideas were incredible. If you have a child that is a slow learner, you might want to try and watch the dvd.
Well I need to go finish rearranging the school. I have become side-tracked but didn't want to forget this book.

An example in the book is the word fathom below.

I haven't actually bought it, but I am looking forward to getting it. I think I will enjoy it more than the girls!
Have a wonderful day.
Jayne

Thought 1: Debating what curriculum to use?

2011-05-03T09:11:00.000-06:00

"Most busy homeschool moms don't choose curriculum with their husbands in mind. But I'm here to tell you that if your curriculum leaves you cold and exhausted at the end of the day, it's time to find a curriculum that is more suited to helping you put the priority on your marriage."
~ Heidi St. John
From the book, The Busy Homeschool Mom's Guide to Romance nurturing your marriage through the homeschool years.
(really that is the title.)

Curriculum Encouragement

2011-04-30T22:07:00.000-06:00

This was a quick little article that I am throwing on here so I remember to look back at it! It looked good, encouraging and informative. Covering a little outline on how to plan a little better. Yay!
Have a great time looking to the coming year and all you will be planning to do!!
http://www.thehomeschoolvillage.com/2011/04/how-to-conquer-curriculum-addiction.html

This is also a fun book I came across. Klutz.com put it out. It doesn't do much but teach your child the fun in doodling. Random I know, but thought I'd toss a picture in. Ha ha, it makes the post more interesting.

MERCY CLIFTON PILGRIM GIRL

2011-04-27T09:49:00.000-06:00

This was one of my top picks of the year. A incredible book that we just got done listening to. If you are teaching your kid's about America this is definitely a great one to listen to. We got our copy from the Flathead library which is always a bonus.

I really try to find books on Cd as much as possible so that we can be learning and also be getting our dishes, laundry, art, or whatever is needed done during that same time.
This book was a incredible book hitting on many different subjects. We learned what it was like being from a family that had been persecuted. We heard all about what life on the Mayflower was like. We listened to what happened to the Pilgrims when they first arrived, and the hardships they went through the first year in America. We learned about Squanto and what the Indians were like. It also had a great storyline of a young girl dealing with life by herself and how her faith became her own and she began to share it with those around her. A truly amazing book.
Have a wonderful day.
Jayne

Truly Farmin it!

2011-04-14T11:16:00.000-06:00

Do you sometimes feel you are a contradiction of many types of people? I sure do, for instance: I love chickens, like a farm girl. My hair is bright pink, like a rock star.

I home school my kids and love it, but never dreamed of doing such a thing ever. I love being around people but have become a total homebody. I get up early and try and get totally ready for the day, finding it helps me get everywhere on time much more than ever before. Anyway, it is so funny how we tend to put ourselves or those around us into certain categories, like "outdoorsy", "city chick", "cow-girl" and yet God makes us all unique and none of those really seem to fit to a "T" how we truly are. Can I encourage you to be who you want to be? Enjoy who you are. You are awesome the way God made you. He loves you just the way you are, which sometimes is such a wonderful joy to think about.
About a month ago we got some sweet new family members, baby chickens. We have gotten baby chickens every year for the last three years. This year we got six compared with just four the last two years. We named them, Edith, Sheeshka Bob, Ida B. Crazy, Eggness, Wanda, and B.B. (black beauty). They even join us in the morning for quiet time.

The one pictured on the left is my Rhode Island Red, Ida B. She is a mellow girl with a calm manner and tends to hang with Edith the other Red we got. Wanda, B.B, and Eggness are Barred Rocks they also seem to stick to their kind, they are quick on their feet but if I speak before I try and catch them they usually let me. Then the little gal, Sheeshka Bob is a Dominique who is gentle, sleepy, and never runs and is usually alone somewhere. Garren claims her to be super smart, reading the newspaper she is standing on....I'm not so sure. ha ha! She is pictured below.

They have been so much fun. Every year I am amazed at each one having its own personality, it seems that God didn't just make all sorts of people but also all sorts of chickens with all kinds of personalities also. Each year we have enjoyed learning about each one and watching to see which one is extra friendly, which ones squawker, which ones like to be left alone and the list goes on and on.
Currently they are taking up residence in the stand up shower and enjoying life to the max, but we have started taking them outside on sunny days and they are getting a glimpse of a whole new wonderful amazing world, which is causing them to be more curious.

Today the shower door got left open and we found two in the school, one in the hall, and two in the laundry room/entry area, the other one Kricky had brought to the dinning room table to suntan. They love this, pictured below.

We wipe our table down now before and after meals, just in case. ha ha
Well I better get on with my day.
Thank you for reading my ramblings.

Have a beautiful day being you.

Love you all, Jayne

2011-04-11T13:30:00.000-06:00

Hello all. Hope you are all doing wonderful. I just went to a home school conference a couple of weekends ago. Such a wonderful breath of fresh air. I love teaching so much.

I have been looking into My Fathers World curriculum for next year. http://www.mfwbooks.com/ If you have done it, could you tell me what you think?
I have also done Sonlight, so if you know how they compare that would be helpful too.

Thank you.

Jayne

Memorization made easy!

2011-04-02T08:39:00.001-06:00

I shouldn't be telling you this... but I have to!! It is such a great thing that I found but I know some home school moms would frown on the very thought. Before you jump to conclusions you should give it a try. You probably know that kid's can memorize very easily till about 3rd or 4th grade, and people in general can memorize way easier if it is put to music.. You tube has just about everything put to music!!
When I come across something we are studying in our school that would be important to remember I check You Tube to see if someone has put the information to music. For example: I wanted the girls to learn the books of the bible in order, so I went to You tube and typed in, books of the bible song and 2,250 possibilities pop up (holy hemorage!) then I went through and picked one that I can handle listening to for the rest of my life. I usually listen to about 8 at the most and then I pick one and add it to my playlist. On a side note, you'll need to start a account with You Tube (it is free) to get a playlist click on Add to below the video, then go down to new playlist and type school songs or something. It is fairly easy.
Now to actually get the kids to memorize it, I have the kids watch it and we listen to it 3 times in a row and then watch it a few times each day for about a weeks. Done!!
To find it each time, I go to the top where my account is, click on it and go to my favorites, click on that. A new screen pops up with my favorites, I click on school songs and click on play all and listen to it while we do our chores, or wash the dishes or eat breakfast!!
Some of our picks so far have been, Bible Books, Ten Commandments Song hand motions, The Planet Song: A Funny Song by Bryant Oden to help you remember the , Animaniacs - Presidents,Wakko's 50 State Capitols with Lyrics/Subtitles, Grammar Rock Nouns, and just for fun, Bible In a Minute, The Backwards Alphabet Song (The CBA Song), 50 State Rhyme - 34.5 Seconds! It has been such a fun way to learn!
I will even go in and type out the girls weekly bible verse to see if it is to song. Kricky this week learned her verse and also learned how to say it in sign language! She loved it.
Well I hope this helps!! Have a wonderful day!
Love you all much, Jayne

A devotional for kids?

2011-04-02T07:59:00.000-06:00

I have had a desire to write for a very long time. I feel like it has even become more in the last few years. Some of the difficulties are I can't quite figure out how to make the time, and what the Lord wants me to write about. I want to as Alaina said, "Keep the main things the main things." So I don't want it to interfere with taking care of Garren, and my children. Today I was thinking, does God want me to write a children's devotional? So I decided to blog for a couple reasons. To sort of pick your brain...
Idea's in a kid's devotional: I'm thinking along the lines of things the kid's can pray about. For example: "Lord, what do you want me to do today?" or "Lord, how can I be more kind and less selfish?"
I would love your thoughts. What are some questions that you would love your kids to ponder?
Thank you for any help you give. Have a wonderful day with your quiet time, then in helping your husband and then loving and ministering to your kids.
~ Jayne

This Is Not Normal

2011-02-02T15:10:00.001-07:00

A while back the girls and I took my Mom to Vivienne's 5th St. Cafe, which is a cute little tea shop in Kalispell. It kind of has a hodge podge assortment of everything tea'ish. As you can see in the pictures, nothing truly matches anything else and yet this sweet lady decided to start a little tea place and she makes some great little scrumpets, scones, jelly filled delights of all different kinds and then little bit sized sandwiches, some meat, some strawberries and cream cheese, some cucumber and butter.

Anyway it is so fun to take my little girls there and

act like ladies, drinking tea and eating dainty little

ditty's! My Mom was a wonderful addition also.

She had been going to Vivienne's for years and

knew way more about it then me.

We enjoyed our time immensly and highly recommend it for a good practice on how to act like a little lady in public. How to do the whole tea service thing. hee hee
It is so not me, but fun just the same. I love to role play. In real life though, I don't even care to wear a dress, or high heals. Those things (high heals) hurt, hurt bad! Why would people want to dress like that daily? I don't understand but am glad I don't have to.

They also have a trunk full of fun hats from yesteryear to wear as you drink your tea. I didn't show that to the girls till tea was over because I was afraid tea would be spilled everywhere and the focus of eating and drinking properly would be lost on playing with hats.

Kricket here is wearing a one of a kind old black hat with a gorgeous black stohl.

Mabelle enjoyed helping Kricket try on every hat in the trunk and eventually she came across a crocodile Dundee style hat a through that on which is perfectly her. She will be my child out bushwhacking it somewhere. She is a little spitfire, go-getter crazy monkey kid.
My Mom and I joined them eventually and took some pictures. It was a great time and I definitely need to do it more often with more people.
Have a wonderful day and plan a tea party with your kiddo's or with me and mine.
Love you all, Jayne

Apron For My Mabelle Love

2011-02-02T14:11:00.000-07:00

Kricky and I made an apron for our Mabelle for Valentines day. We are so excited to give it to her!! It was a dish cloth and so all we did was cut a little space for her arms and then sowed ribbon for the top to tie around her neck and the sides to tie around her back. I had the most fun letting Kricket try it on to make sure it would fit Mabelle. Krickets little face was soo excited and she kept running into the bathroom to make sure Mabelle wasn't getting out of the tub yet. She would run into the bathroom and yell, "Mabelle don't get out yet!!" which normally she is saying, "Mabelle are you done yet."

Well it is fun to finally get a little more crafty.

Have a wonderful day.

Jayne

Please Pray For Joanna Heim

2011-01-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

Joanna HeimI am asking for your prayers for Joanna Heim. She wrote one of my favorite books, Living Simply: Choosing Less in a World of More. This is one of those people/books that everything she wrote of designated with me; I was either dealing with the same things, had dealt with or loved it just went on and on with each new page. We both love the same movies, have daughters, home school and more than I can even think to remember right now.
I have always wanted to write a book and as I was reading it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to do in the future but she had done it. We have so many similarities and passions and loves. She is a kindred spirit and an amazing woman of God and I wanted to ask you to be praying for her.
On January 11, 2011 She suffered a major Stroke and today, January 19 She is still in a Coma and is not looking good. If you could be in prayer for her family too, her daughters are about 11 & 13 and Her hubby Toben Heim.

Thank you & love you. Jayne

Teach Me!!

2011-01-04T12:50:00.001-07:00

      My pastor threw out the gauntlet to everyone to read the New Testament of the Bible as a New Years resolution, the hard part being all by February 1st! It has definitely been a challenge but I brain stormed and set up a plan for the month so I would have some extra time. The first thing I decided to cut out on most days was my hair, I purchased a killer winter hat with earmuffs attached...(oh that sounds horrid) but it is totally fun and a little crazy and means I can do my hair every two to three days instead of everyday. I also decided to get up 20 minutes earlier than normal for the month. So far these two have made it work grand.
       Okay so the real reason I wrote this was to talk about the verse I came across today. Luke 6:40 but the whole area is incredible. The verse says this "A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher." Didn't that make me think! Yikes! I am the example my kids will Then to immediately get on my knees and pray for my poor children, "Dear Lord please help them! I am not a qualified enough teacher!" But then I started thinking about who would be more qualified, no one knows my kids as well as me and I want them to believe the things that I believe to know the Jesus I know. It also made me realize, once again how important it is to be seeking God daily for wisdom. He created me, He gave me a very amazing gift of two beautiful girls to raise and to teach to grow to know God and how much He loves them and that they can get through any difficulty if they look to Him daily.
      I looked up equip thinking that in the bible it talks about where we are called, God will equip us for each task we are called to. Instead I found this in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. In order for me to use this amazing tool available to me (the Bible) I need to know it and study it daily. I have started to do the inductive bible study method and was afraid to start for a couple of years (which is soo silly but was overwhelmed and afraid I'd mess up my inductive Bible) then realized that I could get another one if I messed it up bad enough which I haven't and I have loved it! I am learning what the bible says on my own, which seemed so hard for so long.
     Well, all this to say, go for it! God wants to use you in your kids lives. Trust Him, lean on Him by studying His Word so you know what to do. Oh how He wants to give you all that your heart desires.
     Have a beautiful day. Enjoy some time doing nothing but what your kids want you to do with them. I am going to head outside and play in the snow and feed some treats to the neighbor horses.
Bye for now, Jayne

Time

2010-12-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

                                       "Be in the moment, don't multitask."

    YIKES! I do this way to often! I am slowly realizing the importance of routines. Actually I realized it a while back but actually getting one down is the hard part. Life always seems to shift and change with each season. Then it is back to square one trying to figure out what the best routine should be. (Have I ever mentioned that I am a perfectionist, if it seems to daunting I sometimes won't even try.)
     This last season in our family has been crazy, I am constantly trying to multitask so I can get everything done, and yet I am realizing that I am not giving my family my best. I am now more determined than ever to get a good routine down for January 2011!
     I even went as far as to call one of my daughters friends to find out what her public school routine is. Basically it came down to five and a half hours of school work time. If you void out recess and lunch.
     Now to figure out how to add in sweeping, cleaning, and dishes (we moved and don't have a dishwasher)
     Anyways, I have added a link to a teaching by Levi Lusko, it is on the web sight at freshlifechurch.org under The winter of our discontent, named Time. It was a great end of the year, get a vision sermon.
     Well I better go and get started. I hope this finds you well and ready to enjoy the day!
Jayne

A Quote for me.

2010-12-30T08:43:00.000-07:00

"Even good things can become wrong things when they steal from the best things."
~Levi Lusko. Teaching on time.

This is huge for me.
Hope you are enjoying the best things and not giving all your time to the good things.
Love you, Jayne

God's Legacy Just for Us.

2010-10-14T10:14:00.000-06:00

Psalm 127

1 -2 If God doesn't build the house, the builders only build shacks.

If God doesn't guard the city,

the night watchman might as well nap.

It's useless to rise early and go to bed late,

and work your worried fingers to the bone.

Don't you know he enjoys

giving rest to those he loves?

3 -5 Don't you see that children are God's best gift?

the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?

Like a warrior's fistful of arrows

are the children of a vigorous youth.

Oh, how blessed are you parents,

with your quivers full of children!

Your enemies don't stand a chance against you;

you'll sweep them right off your doorstep.

Hope you have a beautiful day with your kiddo's today! God gives amazing gifts.
Love you much, Jayne

HOW TO....

2010-09-30T09:31:00.001-06:00

This may be one of my all time favorite teachers of all. Jean McClure is wonderfully encouraging. These are less than 5 minutes long each, funny too (which is important to me). ha ha! Go for it! Be encouraged to be a awesome woman today!!
Love you, Jayne
http://www.harvest.org/virtue/studies.html?p=414

FOR THE LOVE OF QUILTS!

2010-09-29T09:48:00.000-06:00

I love quilts, so naturally I had to take my girls to the quilt show. Above is their favorite out of all of them.

In these two pictures is the ultimate quilters dream machine, the arcade for the passionate quilter. It is a $1600.00 machine that you can put your entire quilt into and draw patterns and designs and pretty much anything you could possibly think of. I heard it called the video game for the quilter queen!

Check it out! Mabelle trying out the quilting machine,
they even have a bunch of buttons like an actual game!

This one was amazing to look at with the pinwheels. Along the boarder was one my favorite things, all these little squares in all different sizes.

I liked this one because it seemed like it should be reversed, usually if they have white in them it is in the background but this one they seemed to be popping out at you.

I liked this one because it had circles and squares in it. I can't imagine how hard these would be to make. I really don't have the patience for it but sure love, love, love them.
I hope you have a beautiful day. Wishing you much love in your life, surrounding you like a quilt.
Love you, Jayne

Enjoying the now

2010-09-21T14:50:00.000-06:00

I have to confess that I have been totally convicted of not living in the now a lot of the time. I always have something I can be doing that seems important at the moment, and it always seems to pull me away from my husband, and my kids. It is good things but not all things that are good are things that are good for us... does this make any sense?? Blogging easily falls into this category, I love to take time to think about something that I want to share, a little encouragement here and there but when it comes down to it if I haven't spent one on one time with my kids I should be sharing and encouraging them over you. Right now they are headed to the Library with Auntie, so I had a moment with nothing on my list and thought I would share this insight that I have learned through a couple of books I have read lately. Have a beautiful day, and take a moment to share yourself with your kids. Get on their level, smile and love on them. Love you, Jayne

Labor day! Ha Ha!

2010-09-05T20:01:00.000-06:00

I am starting school on Labor day. I did it last year and accidentally did it again this year. Looking forward to diving in.
A Quote I read today was, "I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand." ~ Unknown
Can I encourage you, a amazing home school Mom to take the time, extra extra time to patiently teach your kids how to help you keep the house in order. They live there too, they should be helping you to keep it in order.
I heard it helps much if you have before meal chores. Didn't do their chore, no food till it's done. You might be saying, "That is a little harsh." but I say it isn't just your house, your clothes, your dishes. Teach them how to help and you will be a team working to keep everything going and you won't be going insane trying to get it all done.
Be a team. We are more and more and it has been wonderful, hard yet more refreshing each day. Train them now.
Take the extra time. love you, ~Jayne

One Day

2010-09-02T17:18:00.000-06:00

"Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys." ~ Billy Graham

Kind of works sometimes with homeschooling. I have a vision for each of my kids and yet the day to day can really be hard. To write out that vision and put it where I will see it and remember it daily is so important in keeping focused and not despairing. I have a difficult job and yet a job that can be a blessing everyday if I but focus in on that day and do what I am called to that day.
Garren had a week off of work and we camped out the whole week. Got away and didn't do anything that we were invited to or church things, just focused in on our family. It was such a wonderful time of regrouping. It has caused me to enjoy this last month so much more. To take each day as it has come. I feel like when I do that I am not so stressed and worried about everything else.
I get up in the morning and spend time with God. Making my list of all I have scheduled and all I need to do on top of that and it all has fit in. I feel like when I put God first in my day, He makes time for all my needs.
I serve a wonderful God.
~Jayne

Marvel

2010-08-20T18:02:00.000-06:00

The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself. ~Henry Miller

Remember to take the time to look closely with your kids and enjoy what God has created for us.
~Jayne Hartman

Prayer idea

2010-08-18T09:46:00.000-06:00

On Sunday one of the recommendations was to pray and ask God to put a plan in your heart. I thought it was such a great thought, and prayer. Right then and there you are placing God first. Your dreams your hearts desire knit together with the God of the universe. The God that created you and knows exactly what you would be best at. ~Jayne

2010-08-17T09:41:00.001-06:00

This last week I was so completely inspired to be the best homeschool teacher I can be. My pastor may have preached the most amazing teaching I will ever hear in all my life. I plan on listening to it at least once a month for the rest of my life. I beg you to take the time to listen to it at some point this week. Take the time...while your taking a bath at night, get up early one day this week, or while your fixing dinner please just listen to it. Be inspired to be what God wants you to be, not just the average you but to be 150% you! Your kids watch you, learn from you, want to be like you if you are asking God for help and seeking to run your life to please God not only will you do things that you never thought you could do but your kids will be inspired to live life extreme for God.
http://www.freshlifechurch.org/2009/teachings_list_01.php?series=rock%20this%20city
Click on, The Wall Is Completed.
Love you. ~Jayne

Your In Charge...Make It A Blast!!

2010-08-15T16:15:00.000-06:00

One of the best tips I have heard about homeschooling is to have fun, attitude is a huge amount of the wonderfulness of homeschooling. If you are enoying it the kids will to. If you are stressed and burnt out and everyday is an uphill battle then the kids will look at it like that too. Don't just smile at them, grin. God gave you those kids for a reason. At least be pleasant, although fresh, and upbeat is even better. Some would say it doesn't need to be a three-ring circus although every once in a while it is definitly something you should try.... the kids will LOVE IT!

You'll love it too! Seriously this is something that we will do again in the near future,maybe today!! ha ha
Love you all ~Jayne

Bloggingest Bloggety Blog Blog Blog

2010-08-14T21:42:00.000-06:00

I started a new blog er two. Why, your probably asking when I already have one that I never blog on? Well the perfectionist in me that I don't really care for and am kind of starting to figure out the closer I get to the middle of my life doesn't like mixing all my thoughts on one blog so I just don't even blog at all although I love to write. I feel like it's all a jumble I mean really, I am a complex person. I have many different roles in my life. I am a Mom... A teacher to my two amazing girls, yes I homeschool which is so wonderfully strange. A wife to my wonderful husband who is now an Intern Pastor (never thought I'd be a Pastors wife). A person that is suppose to take care of cleaning and washing the house and stuff in it (like clothes & bedding).A mentor (hopefully) to the young adults in our church, and others too hopefully. So to have just one blog doesn't make sense to me. My homeschool friends don't want to read about young adult stuff, and young adults could care less about homeschooling. Does this make any sense?! So I decided to do more then one and try and narrow them down by topics to an extent... How I will get this figured out is beyond me. The blog you are on, Jayners Scrumpets will host Homeschool fun Mom information, recipes, and other Scrumpets
The next one will be more marriage, and ... not really sure kind of still trying to figure that blog out.
http://jayners.tumblr.com/
The third one will be more for my friends, information I am learning from books I am reading and my thoughts...http://jaynehartman.wordpress.com/
Hope you will enjoy tremendously.
Have a wonderful day, seriously. Plan it. Enjoy it and know that you are loved.
~Jayne

Books Books Books Books

2010-08-14T20:19:00.000-06:00

School is right around the corner and I am super excited. I never dreamed of being a teacher and yet I stinking love it. Seriously so challenging yet rewarding. Last year I went the route of just ordering a kit with everything a school in a box per-say. It was great, but this year I enthusiasticly took on the overwelming wonderful task of trying to come up with my own plan. One reason is because I love an adventure. The second reason is my kids are still fairly young and I figured it's better to start when their young so if I mess up hopefully I'll figure it out by the time they are old enough to realize. ha ha. The third reason being I like the Classic Christian teaching style and wanted to dive into that as much as possible. I am now trying to figure out what books should be done when in the year, and how long each should take... no light undertaking. Here is a photo of what I was thinking of starting in September, most won't be done by the end of the month but it does look a little overwelming to me. Doesn't it seem like a lot for the start?! Well maybe you should start praying for the girls now ha ha.

It is going to be a blast!!
~Jayne

My new favorite book....

2010-08-14T12:11:00.000-06:00

I just read the most fantastic book, called Living Simply and her websight is http://thesimplewife.typepad.com/ I loved loved loved it and the author and how she wrote and all the books she referenced. I felt like the whole time I read it I could totally relate to Joanne, I am just going to call her by her name cause she was definitely a kindred spirit and I know she would totally want me to call her by her first name. As I read I found that we love so many of the same things, read the same books. I will refer to her a lot in hopefully my future blogging, she had so many insightfully amazing things to say. Her blog is wonderful too so please go and check it out. I hope she writes another book soon. ~ Jayne

Quote for you

2010-07-03T15:03:00.000-06:00

"If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this."

~C. S. Lewis

Thought for a life.

2010-07-03T14:30:00.000-06:00

We need to teach the next generation of children from Day One that they are responsible for their lives. Mankind's greatest gift, also its greatest curse, is that we have free choice. We can make our choices built from love or from fear. ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Cornbread Casserole

2010-01-29T21:31:00.002-07:00

Hi all, I finally got another scrumpet going up for you. My friend Eva fixed this recipie and I loved it. I got it from her, then miss placed it but tried to remember off the top of my head what went in it needless to say I forgot the stick of butter but turned out good. The consistence wasn't quite the same. We added butter and honey on the top, which made it delicious! Hope you enjoy!

CORN CASSEROLE

Original Recipe Yield 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 stick of pound butter, melted
2 eggs
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn
1 (15 ounce) can creamed corn
1 (8.5 ounce) package corn bread mix (I used Jiffy and it worked great)
1 (8 ounce) sour cream

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.In a mixing bowl, combine butter, whole corn, eggs, cream corn, corn muffin mix and sour cream. Fold all ingredients together, pour into 2 quart casserole dish. Bake for 1 hour.

Thank you Eva, I miss and love you. Hope you are doing wonderful.
Hope you all have a beautiful day!
Jayners

I love school!

2010-01-11T11:07:00.001-07:00

This is just a quick post of the day. A little reflecting on my home school life right now.
I am enjoying my life so much right now, and learning to be content in every area but wanted to focus on homeschooling for this post.
I love that I get to see my kids everyday, throughout the day.
That I can let them sleep in beyond 7am if they need it.
I love that I get to know them and work with them to learn and grow each day.
They each have such fun qualities about them that I enjoy.
I love that they are learning by my side all day, whether we are out doing something, baking, or cleaning.
I love that we can do school during the day and not have to sit home at night trying to figure out what the teacher ment for them to learn with this homework assinment.
I love that we can do our school work and learn the stuff that is harder and not move on till we know it.
I love that I get to relearn so much and really enjoy it the second time around.
~Jayne

To Everything There Is A Season

2009-12-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

Everything Has Its Time

To Everthing there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born,
    And a time to die;
A time to plant,
    And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill,
    And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
    And a time to build up;
A time to weep,
    And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
    And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
    And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
    And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain,
    And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
    And a time to throw away;
A time to tear,
    And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
    And a time to speak;
A time to love,
    And a time to hate;
A time of war,
    And a time of peace.
                Ecclesiasties 3:1-8
I have enjoyed reading this over the years. Sometimes I was in good times and sometimes not as good. It really struck hard when my Mother MaryAnn was going to die soon and it was a real comfort during that time. God is in control of all time. I love that I know that. Thank you Lord.

Where is my heart?

2009-12-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

Good Day! Hope you are doing amazing. I hope God is in your daily life, that you are spending time alone with Him. He wants to spend time with you to show you things in His word.

Greg Laurie did a devotional today that was awesome. I can't figure out the right link to it because I am not a computer genius but if you go to http://www.harvest.org and type in Take care of your heart, you can read it.

I have seen in my young life many people in three different churches get hurt some how in church and decide not to attend church anymore, anywhere. We all will be hurt at some point in our lives. One quote I have heard said was "If you find the perfect church, don't go there because you are a sinner and you will ruin it." -Skip Heitzig He went on to explain that we are all human and will as some point make mistakes and the church is filled with humans learning to seek God, apologize for their short comings (sins) and hopefully get back up every time they fall. Yet so many get hurt once and run. That to me is very sad; we need to edify one another. 1Thessalonians 5:11 says Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. It is speaking about keeping Jesus and what He did the focus and living daily for Him. We will be hurt over and over again and God wants us to be quick to forgive and run for comfort into His loving arms. Ephesians 4:29-32 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. What! My verse that really hit me this last year is the verse immediately following the Lords prayer, Matthew 6:14-15. Jesus is saying, "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. That about killed me. I don't remember ever having read that before. What? I won't be forgiven if I can't forgive. I knew I didn't want to grow old and be bitter but do I really need to forgive everyone? I mean some people can be so mean it seems almost impossible to forgive them. Over and over God kept showing me verses about how extremely important forgiving really is.

If you are having a hard time with this, first of all I would say how important it is to ask Jesus into your heart and thank Him for dying on the cross for you. Second I would ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit so that you can have the strength to forgive those that have hurt you. Thirdly I would like to read one more verse for you. Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Tribulation in the dictionary is a grievous trouble; severe trial or suffering. In other words we will be a better person because of the trials and hurts we have to go through, we have that hope. We have a free will, and with that will we have a choice to make every time we are hurt, to seek God and run to him with perseverance or to become unforgiving and angry. Joseph hit the nail on the head perfectly when he told his brothers, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones." Genesis 50:19-21

One book on forgiveness that I strongly recommend is Total Forgiveness by R.T. Kendall (Amazon under $5). It was amazing and so freeing. I have felt so much more joyful walking in the path of forgiving.

These are just some thoughts of mine that I have wanted to share. I hope you will be encouraged to run your race that God has planned for you, a beautiful glorious plan. Have a wonderful day. ~Jayne

PICTURE OF 2009

2009-12-09T14:59:00.001-07:00

This is Kricket looking at our beautiful baby chickens. This was our first school project that was a wonderful Easter present as well. We tried to get all female chickens in hopes to avoid crowing issues, as we live in town and roosters are not Permitted but up to 5 hens are allowed in the city limits. We each got one chicken. Mabelle named hers "Karissa", Kricket's was "Beauty", Garren's was "Drumstick", and mine was "Gypsy Wingnut". They were amazing little critters and as they grew, the girls had a blast with them. They enjoyed playing with the girls too. Drumstick liked it when Mabelle held him and cruised on the trike at breakneck speed around the patio. Karissa loved it when Mabelle would sing to him holding him toward her and sticking his butt in the air causing him to flip his tail up and down. It really was quite the show, makes me laugh thinking about it. They all loved playing farm with Kricket and they fit quite well in the barn, each having their very own horse stall. Drumstick loved playing in the barbie house, and Karissa looked great with a play horse saddle on his back.
They lived in our shower during the time that they were little till they got big enough to go outside and then they only slept in the shower at night. First thing in the morning I would open the shower door and the door leading outside and they would run on out. It worked perfect because we don't use that shower and it was our bathroom that everyone uses when they come to the house so it became quite the conversation piece when we had people over which we do frequently and they went to use the restroom only to have 4 chickens watching them. We even took them camping and they hung out under our camper for the weekend, enjoying new things to peck at and eat.
After we got them we started to look online for ways to tell wether they were male or female. One way was a 5th toe which beauty got first it was a suprising day when we realized that our pretty little white chicken named beauty was a rooster. Another way was if their combs (red things on the head and under the mouth) were darker but we got 4 different types of bantam chickens so that wasn't a good way for us to tell. The 3rd was to wait and see if they crowed, which Karissa soon started doing. The 4th was if they became very dominating, Gypsy Wingnut started attacking my hand and then went on to picking on Karissa and making him bleed which caused us to say, "Thank you Lord for this little chicken dinner." I am kidding. The 5th is if they lay an egg, that would be a hen.... we never saw that. We were pleasantly suprised with how many people we came across that had chickens and were game to let ours join there farms. Karissa and Drumstick are really enjoying life on the farm, they live with about 12 chickens twice their size. Beauty is the most beautiful white silky rooster and is with about 30 other chickens on another farm having a wonderful time. We still go and see them from time to time. Karissa and Drumstick still like us to hold them and love on them, they really seem to recognize us when we come. This was definitely an adventure that will happen in our lives again.
~Jayne

Recipe's to the mix!

2009-12-09T13:37:00.001-07:00

I am adding recipe's to my blogging, after all they are a big part of my world as a Mom. I also try and be frugal with my shopping and cooking. It is quite funny how excited about some things I have gotten. Although they do save us some money causing us to enjoy even the simple things like Syrup! The girls love syrup on their EVERYTHING (Thank you Elf!), and Garren likes Vanilla syrup in his coffee.

Vanilla Syrup

1 Cup of Water
1 Cup of Sugar
1 Tablespoon of Honey or Corn Syrup (optional)
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla
Heat water to boiling, add sugar and stir until sugar dissolves completely. Turn off burner, add Honey and Vanilla. Poor into a pourable container. Enjoy with coffee. You can also skip the vanilla and it is a great sweetener. I also read the coolest tip on this amazing concoction: If you are fixing a cake (layered works best) you can sprinkle the layers (or top) with syrup and it adds more moisture then let cool and frost. Delish!

Maple Syrup

2 Cups of Water
1 Cup of white Sugar
1 Cup of Brown Sugar
2 Teaspoons of Mapleine (maple flavoring)
Heat water to boiling, add sugar and stir until sugar dissolves completely. Turn off burner, add flavoring. I tend to mess with this one a lot, sometimes I add a tablespoon of molassas. I will mix store bought with this if I have it. I just bought some brown rice syrup to try, it is suppose to be better for diabetics and doesn't hit the blood stream like sugar does. I figured I would mix them half and half or something next time I make it. Although I have used it a few times on pancakes and the girls liked it with out the maple. The Brown rice syrup does taste funny all by itself but similar to honey on things.
Have a wonderful day!
~Jayne

Blog Changes in the works!!

2009-12-02T10:52:00.001-07:00

Hello All!! I started this blog originally to let out a little creativity. I love to write, although not sure how good of a writter I am. I would love to one day write a book but know as of yet I really don't have the know how to actually do that well but maybe someday I can work on it and get better. As for now I will blog little tid bits here and there. The day I started this Garren was all excited and actually joined me in the fun. Quite a few of the blogs are his, and he has had some great ideas. He still may add a few here and there but I am mainly taking it over, sorry to all you guys that read and commented on all of Garren's blogs. Over the last year we haven't blogged hardly at all and I decided to revamp it, change the name and call it my own. So with that I introduce to you, Jayners Scrumpets! Jayners Scrumpets hopes to be little tid bits from the recesses of Jaynes mind, life experiences, pictures, homeschooling and so on. I hope to have fun, be encouraging, creative, and a little crazy. Have a wonderful rest of 2009!!
~Jayne

2009-11-25T22:45:00.003-07:00

Merry Christmas!

We are happy to say that our tree has been up for a little while now. I am looking forward to a wonderful holiday season. The lights, the smells, the people! I love light, I would have every light on in the house if I dared. I would have no curtains on my windows if I lived out of town so as to let in as much light as possible.

The smells of baked goods and food being cooked. All day today the kitchen has smelled of something good.

The people, I am definitely a people person. I went to costco for lunch the other day and as a joke we figured out how many people I had greeted from sitting in the cafe area with some friends. They were saying that I knew everyone walking by so we figured it out and by the time I left the building I had seen 43 people I knew.

I love the business of the holidays and yet I try and keep it simple. I definitely tend to over due it. Tomorrow is Thanks giving and I spent today cooking and getting everything ready so that tomorrow will hopefully be easier. I even put the turkey in the oven. I am trying out a slow roasting recipe. Put the bird in at 6pm and at 4pm he should be perfect, temp is set at 185 for most of the time. I am excited to see what he tastes like.

Well enjoy the season! ~Jayne

Homeschooling

2009-11-23T16:11:00.004-07:00

Well here goes! I wasgoing to do this more often than not, but so far it has been more not. Although I did throw up a quick blog (golly that sounds horrible) just today. I was planning on writing blogs more often about my daily life of homeschooling. It is definitely the new adventure in my life and I am enjoying it tremendously.
I'll start from the beginning with what I can remember. Awwwe how did I start?? I am using a curriculum called Son Light as my guide this year and have enjoyed it immensely. It is a lot of reading which I love. I have really enjoying reading all the books, so far most haven't made me cry to much. Their has been some amazing stories. Some true and some fiction with amazing lessons to teach the girls.
We have learned, and I say we because I feel as though I am learning sooo much I can't even tell you. One thing that caught my attention that Levi Lusko our Pastor (levilusko.com) said the other day was that if you hear something then hear it again the second time you'll retain about 25% of it. I know for me homeschooling has been a huge eye opener, I must have heard this before and am now hearing it the second time and am able to retain 25% of it.
For example the first month in science we learned about the earth rotating every 24 hours and then also spinning around the sun completely once a year and we learned about the calendar and how it works and here I am trying to teach my girls and I am so amazed. God made all of this work so incredibly. We don't at some point say, "Oh shoot, September is landing in the spring again we'll have to rewrite our calendars again."
Not only all of that but just being around my girls. Having them with me getting to know each one of them. I have often had to listen to them complain then other times got to hear them say, " Mom you are the best teacher in the world." which has been so encouraging. Being able to teach each of them things for the first time has been amazing.
I am loving it so far. ~Jayne

Fancy Garren

2009-11-23T12:55:00.003-07:00

This was taken back in May with Garren and his buddy's, Chad, Garren, Eric, Eric's brother, & Josh. I missed it due to Mabelle suddenly getting the flu horribly that day. But wanted to show off how handsome Garren looked. I mean really they all look handsome but Garren rocks my world.

~Jayne

Fear God?

2009-03-24T07:13:00.002-06:00

I have never felt like I quite understood what it means to fear God. How do I trust him, lean on him, love him and yet fear him? Fear Him some how became the same as be afraid of him which then it would be hard to trust and lean on him. How many times in the bible does it say "do not to be afraid"? Twenty four times according to my little concordance at the back of my bible. Well somehow I had confused the two and yet from what I can tell the "do not be afraid" area's in the bible are mainly God saying, do not be afraid I will be with you through a certain situation. Anyway, all that to say, today Greg Laurie had a great explaination of what it means to fear God in his daily devotional.
The devotional was called, The Early Church Had It Right. His devotionals are great, you can check them out at http://www.harvest.org/devotional/ . The section that explained a lot to me was: What is the fear of the Lord? It does not mean you should be afraid of God. To fear God means that you have a healthy respect or reverence for Him. Another translation describes it as "a wholesome dread of displeasing God." In other words, I love God so much that I want to do all I can to keep from displeasing Him.
This was so wonderful to me that I had to share it. Hope your days are filled with a healthy fear of God. Have a great day.
~Jayne

"The Bunny"

2008-11-16T19:53:00.002-07:00

Humble? Heroic? The winning costume? Who did win that by the way?
A man with a vision, a man who knows who he is. A man comfortable in his own skin... and also the skin of a big pink bunny.
The man I am honored to call, "Husband"
Isn't he just the cutest ever? Check out those ears!!
Reminds me of why I fell in love with him.
~Jayne

Cake Walk Fun

2008-11-14T11:20:00.005-07:00

Victoria & I had the best day before halloween making cakes.

After We made about 20 some cakes, pie's, crisp's and such we decided we needed help frosting and decorating them all. Thank you very much, Rachelle, Ryan, and Garren for coming to our rescue!

The next evening it was so much fun to see all our cakes and things mixed in with all the others that were donated to the cake walk at the Harvest party at the church.

~Jayne

"Prego Anyone?"

2008-09-23T10:39:00.005-06:00

Only at the Moose lodge can they get away with giving you a to go container like this.
I was running late and asked if I could get my chocolate shake to go. They said yes, they would be able to figure out something. Little did I know that it would be something as novel as this. I headed off to Veritas the young adult group we help with and sure had a great time grossing out everyone. Delicious!

"Bull Down"

2008-09-23T10:21:00.005-06:00

Had to show off my brother a little bit here. Logan shot his bull elk in the Bob Marshal Wilderness this season. Took his two horses and traveled into the Bob about 25 miles. Spotted the six by six bull at 378 yards away. Shot at it with his 300 Winchester Mag. Didn't calculate the distance quite right and missed with the first shot. The second shot hit the tip of its tallest antler off.

Then realized that he was shooting over it and was able to shoot it and drop it. The bull started to get up and Logan shot again getting it through the spin and paralizing it. Then was able to shoot him one last time right though the heart.
Then the fun began of finding, gutting and deboning him strapping the meat and antlers to the horses and beginning the long walk out.

And in our final photo we have the "Gawkers".

Going to the Moon Road

2008-09-15T08:50:00.003-06:00

If you haven't taken the opportunity to ride the Going to the Sun Road by moonlight...next summer, plan it. Last night it was epic. We dropped at the loop and gauked at an incredible sunset during the 8 mile trek up to the pass. Somewhere around mile 7, the good Lord blessed us with a 14" sub sandwich from our incredible friends driving by. Nice touch. At the top we were greeted by the almost blinding moon rising from the other side.

With not even a breeze, it was overwhelmingly quiet and peaceful. We walked above the visitor center to gaze across that high basin which was near brilliant as day. Then, the highlight and rush...the ride down. Perfect end to an amazing summer.

Destiny Fullfilled

2008-09-11T08:19:00.006-06:00

Jayne & Garren. A very stylish couple of kids- pictured here sometime in the mid 80's.

Cutting edge fashion. Meant for each other.

Guess The Photo...

2008-09-07T19:07:00.004-06:00

Ok everybody... a guessing game. Maybe Coy or Kevin lost a contact? Maybe this is a clever illustration on evolution?
Other thoughts?

Stupid Dive Contest '08

2008-09-03T16:43:00.003-06:00

"When the competition got fierce and the judges were tough... I had to rely 100% on creativity." -Garren Hartman Gold Medalist

One of those great days...

2008-09-01T17:13:00.021-06:00

The North Fork of the Flathead...20 miles past Polebridge. That is where this story begins...

Brave explorers posing at cave entrance.

Explorers pose down near the center of the earth.
Brave explorers hear a noise.
Explorer Garren fights off large cave monster with rock...too bad flash didn't go off.
Brave explorers move on.

Brave explorers caught in rare sudden underground sand storm.

Explorer David is tired and takes a quick nap.
Explorers return to surface.
Explorers are happy and play leap frog back to vehicle.

Back at cabin...sudden and unexpected soot fight breaks out! (Explorer Jayne)

Explorers say sorry and make up.

Explorers take turns using outhouse.
Explorer's Tow-yota breaks down and get's pulled over the mountains and through the woods for many miles & late into the night. Explorers enjoy this.The end.

High Gas Prices

2008-09-01T16:40:00.002-06:00

...with fuel prices so high these days, our smart friends carpool.

Success

2008-08-22T08:45:00.001-06:00

David, we are so proud of you!!

KRICKY FACE

2008-08-20T15:10:00.006-06:00

Our Kricket, loves making faces. She can't seem to just smile normal for a picture. Here I captured her down at the lake on a beautiful day. She was in the best of spirits. Don't ya just love her.

~Jayne

"CAMPIN FEET"

2008-08-13T07:31:00.001-06:00

False Advertising

2008-08-05T15:52:00.003-06:00

Ok, look at these two photos closely...

Notice the difference when guys notice that a girl is holding a camera?

Toobin'

2008-08-05T15:46:00.002-06:00

Being a Dad is just plain fun.

The Great Northern

2008-07-16T16:11:00.000-06:00

Wooo-hoooo! Epic day. Epic hike.

From our vehicles, the rocky summit looks way too far away.

The first portion of the trail is nicknamed cardiac hill- approx 1 mile straight up the mountain to get above treeline. Still the summit at the end of the ridge looks so far away.

Finally, we reach to rocky upper portion. The mtn goat smirks at us from the edge above.

The loose terrain and little room for error makes some areas intense. You slip and you are no more.

Great times. Great friends. Left to right: Jon, I, Ryan, Seth, Todd...and yes, going down is much harder than going up.
Perfect day.

Scary Chick

2008-07-02T13:04:00.003-06:00

This is one of Mabelle's creations. As a parent, I am crazy-proud of her and praised her for her great work of art.

But later, as I look at this thing it kinda gives me the creeps. Maybe it's the pig nose...or the lazy eye. I've never been a fan of large jewel broaches either. What do I do with this?

The Dog Days of Summer

2008-06-29T22:34:00.003-06:00

We simply have a cool dog.

Benny is typically pretty modest and doesn't like me blogging about him. He does look good in his "Doggles" though.

Another Miracle...

2008-06-24T13:41:00.002-06:00

Is there anybody out there? Is there anybody else that sees the goodness? To me it's obvious: miracles are from God...MIRACLE whip. The stuff is just far superior to mayo but the majority of you just don't get it. You know the verse "...for broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it." Is anybody else that will join me on the narrow path?

Precious Moment

2008-06-14T14:39:00.003-06:00

Who needs a son when you have Mabelle?

I'm pretty sure she is standing on first base while picking her backside and sticking her tongue out. I love her.

Life is Good

2008-06-12T09:11:00.003-06:00

This is my stash.
Honeycomb rocks. My lovely wife found a sale for a buck a box. I love living.

Booger Poll

2008-06-04T14:11:00.004-06:00

Ok, does anybody else find the poll results a bit disturbing? Important Poll Posted: When picking your nose in the car...where do you usually place the booger? The correct answer would have been the first option "kleenex in glovebox"... or so I thought. No one. Second place was a tie between "under the seat" & "on the passenger's arm". The majority was "flick it out the window". Soooo, drive carefully out there...it may be slippery.

Lake Day #1

2008-06-04T09:59:00.006-06:00

We planned a day at the lake cabin inviting some friends and primarily the interface group. (Jayne's family has a great cabin that we are blessed to use at times) The weather this time of the year is usually hit or miss. Saturday, it was a hit. Sunny, warm, smooth water. The glory for that obviously goes to Jesus. Thank you.

great dock

great beach

great bonfire producing great smores

Happy Birthday Jayne !!

2008-05-29T07:21:00.004-06:00

It's the Jayner's birthday today (thursday)...so call her and wish her happy birthday.

(This image has never been circulated via the internet until today. I hope she is as excited as I am about it.)

Well Prepared

2008-05-28T06:14:00.003-06:00

We decided to to hire one of those companies like Mr Green, Chemlawn, etc. We actually did this last year and our lawn was green and dandiless (yes, dandiless). We couldn't remember who we hired last year and so Garren called one of them and got everything fairly set up for them to come in a few weeks. Then about a week later they called and set up an appointment as to when they were comming and on Wednesday last week Chemlawn came and sprayed, by thursday night dandilions were shriveled everywhere. (Yay) Then we were gone on Saterday when Mr. Green showed up and sprayed the yard too. Garren got home just as they were putting the last of the hose away in the truck. He then realized that he had somehow booked two lawn companies to spray our yard. Our grass that we mowed a little over a week ago is now above my ankles. Growing green. Hopefully the next hopeful home buyers that look at our house will see the amazing green lawn first and will buy it just for that reason.....First impressions are important.

MOTORbiking

2008-05-20T15:35:00.005-06:00

On the most incredible day of days so far this year, I was able to spend several hours of it with 2 great friends (Erin K. & David A.) cranking across hundreds of acres of forest land on our bikes. For those of you that haven't ridden a dirt or trail bike...I'm sorry. Outside of hiking, you can get to more places, across more terrain, and the best part...at an obnoxious rate of speed, than any other mode of transportation that I can think of. Good times. Good thrills.

Ice Water

2008-05-08T08:59:00.003-06:00

Snow in the mountains & swimsuits on. Our brave girls like starting summer early. Has anybody else been swimming yet?

...ooo me, me, I'll start it!

2008-05-05T15:31:00.003-06:00

A thought passed through my mind...

I (garren) really love to start stuff on fire. I've always assumed that everybody must find great enjoyment doing that whether it's fireworks, a campfire or a brush pile. Are there actually humans that don't crave starting something on fire, at least occasionally?

Benny Hartman

2008-04-30T10:35:00.005-06:00

Meet Benny.

He's my loyal friend and business partner. In a house full of girls it's nice having him around to share those male responsibilities such as wrestling, security, passing gas, etc. During the day he catches some comfy zzz's in my office while waiting for a mid-day hike or bikeride. Great dog. Great friend.

TEAMWORK

2008-04-26T10:37:00.003-06:00

Mabelle's baseball team- 5&6 yr olds. It's hard to beat this display of teamwork. Notice the eventual throw to 1st base.

SPAM

2008-04-24T21:56:00.004-06:00

Ok, share with everyone a SPAM testimony...right here right now.
Click on the "SPAM" title for inspiration and even join the SPAM fan club!

a must see...

2008-04-24T14:53:00.001-06:00

Watching paint dry...you have to watch this whole thing.

4 peas in a pod

2008-04-22T20:25:00.003-06:00

"Special" people need "special" friends.

Dan In Real Life

2008-04-21T09:46:00.004-06:00

A great little movie. You can clickk on the blog title and watch the trailer. If you haven't had the pleasure of watching it. This is one of those movies that seems to cause every feeling in you. I definitly squirmed a little, laughed a lot, and hoped a ton for the poor fellow. Most of it took place in one house full of grandparents, kid's and grandkids reminding me a little of going to the cabins up the northfork and having everyone in a little space for a few days, getting to know each other again. We don't get together a whole lot anymore so it's refreshing to spend more of an extended time playing card, talking, sledding, roasting marshmellows, eating biscuits and gravy, and playing more cards.
Sorry, off on a tangent, back to the movie. I loved the music. Written by Sondre Lerche. A mix of pop, jazz, indie which I find kind of funny because I'm not a music person and whenever people ask me what kind of music I like I am really not sure what to say. Usually I say pretty much everything but now I can reply indie (what is that?), jazz, pop. Yep, most of you are probably wondering about me, at least this isn't a home video of me singing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtVPhKyK9gw&feature=related A little youtube of Sondre lerche. Well I better get my day going. Take care ~Jayne

my precious

2008-04-14T15:20:00.002-06:00

A real coffee drinker needs to have a real coffee vessel. This beaute jumped off the shelf at me...hand thrown, hand painted, one of a kind. Virginia Pfau, full time potter, was gracious enough to show us her workplace at Whitefish Pottery and some of her own pieces. Incredible.

This bad boy makes coffee taste like coffee and me feel like a man.

NIFTY SPIKES

2008-04-10T09:18:00.008-06:00

Early spring hiking in Montana can be very dangerous. Sloped trails are often covered with slippery ice or mud. Quick affordable solution: "Nifty Spikes". Nifty spikes can be purchased at most hardware stores... I recently found mine at Lowe's. Many roofing contractors also use nifty spikes to fasten metal roofing.

Installation Instructions

1. Purchase 3/8" or 1/2" long nifty spikes. Caution: longer nifty spikes are available but not recommended due to possible foot injury.

2. Open nifty spikes baggy and view nifty spikes. Pretty neat huh?

3. Use nifty spikes certifide bit and cordless drill to attach from 4 to 38 nifty spikes (depending on terrain slope) into shoe/boot tread.

4. Repeat on adjacent shoe/boot tread.

5. Go to dangerous hiking trail and hike it with confidence.

Redneck? Yes. Incredible traction? Absolutely.

Weep Not

2008-04-07T11:40:00.003-06:00

Onion: $1.29
Swim Goggles: $9.99
No Tears: Priceless

Rock Paper Scissors

2008-04-04T13:44:00.003-06:00

You too can become a champion.

Kentucky Mabelle

2008-04-03T08:43:00.004-06:00

Mabelle lost her first tooth! As parents, this is very exciting...just another one of those joyful "milestones" along with "first steps", "no more diapers", etc. I came home to see Jayne with the needlenose ready to yank it, but it wasn't fully ripe yet. Eeeeee.

I can see how exciting it is for her having that new feeling in her mouth. Do you remember that, feeling that opening with your tongue, over & over again?

Mabelle, shortly after losing it, very excitedly asked me "Can I drink more coffee now?" You see, she loves coffee and has been only getting sips now & then due to the fact that baby teeth stain very easily and Jayne doesn't want them brown for some reason. Also, she does not need the caffeine, trust me.

Mabelle rocks. Great toothloss fuzzy!

Tight Survey

2008-04-03T08:09:00.002-06:00

Ok...the closing comments regarding the toilet seat survey. Close race: 8 for padded, 9 for hard. My vote obviously went for padded since we recently ventured into paddedville on our latest toilet seat replacement. The kids love it, I love it, I can't keep Jayne out of there. That said, the loyal hard lovers still have spoken. Thank you for sharing your heart-felt opinion on such an important topic.

Bravery

2008-03-26T18:20:00.003-06:00

Ok, time to pat us on the back for bravery. Jayne & I stepped way out of our comfort zone at costco and actually did the "self-checkout". Brushing aside the intense fears of "will it not scan" "will it triple-scan" "will it not take my money" "will it take all my money" we just went for it. I can't believe how well it went. You could just see the look of admiration on the faces of the other shoppers standing in the long "standard" checkout lines. They were not so brave as we.

Survival Skills

2008-03-19T17:34:00.003-06:00

In Jayne's absence this evening, I was in charge of dinner for my offspring & I. My first reaction obviously was, "Should I take them out to eat or have pizza delivered?" Then something stirred inside me...my bachelorhood skills stirred inside me. Reaching way down deep within years past and deep within the pantry I was able to find the familiar tools (pictured below). Yes, a dinner fit for kings! (ketchup not pictured)

My-focals?

2008-03-18T09:32:00.006-06:00

...so the other evening we were beach combing on flathead lake. Now, Jayne has a "great" pair of glasses she wears everywhere. She thinks she looks pretty good but I think she looks a bit...well, odd.

Question- do I confront her about this?

The more serious one.

2008-03-17T10:58:00.012-06:00

Always perceived as the more serious, quiet

guy. Not quite true. Always ready to have

some fun. I love you Garren. Your Jayne

Joining in with modern technology

2008-03-14T09:06:00.000-06:00

Last night when our small group got on the topic of blogging and five minutes into the conversation a guy leaned over to his wife and said, "What's blogging?" I decided I would give it a shot, as of about one month ago I didn't know much about blogging. Geoffrey did it from her myspace and it can sure give good insight into what is on a persons mind. I of course won't have the time to write as much as I want because I have two little rug rats to keep an eye on. Today is bath day and they are painting this morning.

I like to paint too. Right now they are fairly covered with paint that I am hoping will wash off fairly easily.