19th Winter

Well, I've just past the date that marks my 19th winter. . .  I turned 18 on January 27th!

I can't express how thankful I am for all the kind words and gifts I received on my birthday.  Thank you all very much!  I have everything I need right now, so anything more is a real blessing. 

I got in from doing chores and found Mom had cooked up a delightful breakfast of hot oatmeal with raisins and apple chunks mixed in, and besides that she made crispy donut muffins and served fresh oranges. 

We usually gather as a family for devotions at breakfast, but that day Dad and David left to do some milk delivering for me.  Jonathan took Dad's place and led the reading of the Word and then we sang our morning hymn together. 

I opened up the gifts and found some pretty special surprises.  Thank you all for the cards and kind words!  One of the gifts was a particularly practical item from Andrew.  He gave me was a compact, sturdy little LED pocket flashlight.  I carry it around with me all the time now.  It's the perfect size for a tool light and bright enough for spotting varmints at night.  Thank you Andrew! 

Jonathan gave me a very inspiring and thoughtful gift.  It is the book called The Family by J.R. Miller which gives a very important Christian perspective on what family life should be in terms of God's Word.  I will cherish the book for many years to come.  Thank you Jonathan!

Mom gave me a clever and creative gift.  Have you ever seen a tea tumbler?  I hadn't.  It is basically a glass thermos, so it is easily kept clean, with an insulated lid and a mesh straining insert that fits into the mouth of the bottle.  In the early morning before I go out to the barn, I can boil a little water and pour it into the tumbler with the tea leaves, and then cap it and let it steep.  The mesh filter strains the tea as you drink it so once the water is poured in you are ready to go.  I don't have to wait until it has steeped to pour it into the thermos to drink, it is ready immediately.  Thank you Mom!


Tea Tumbler



Dad and Mom gave a gift that will certainly free up some time for the bottle washer.  An envelope with money towards a dishwasher (which I am now looking to purchase).  I appreciate all the time Mom has volunteered to keep the cabinet stocked with squeaky clean bottles, but with the addition of an automatic dishwasher in the near future I hope she will have more time to do the things she has set aside due to bottle washing.  Thank you Mom and Dad!

Me holding the candles for my cheesecake dessert.  Mom has a great recipe for cheesecake that uses homemade yogurt cheese and whipped cream for the filling.

One gift I received from David a couple days prior to my birthday.  He bought me the DVDs of the new movie Courageous and the not-so-new Flywheel which were made by the Kendrick brothers and Sherwood Baptist Church.  I hadn't seen Courageous before and am really thankful to have been able to see it and have a copy to show others!  It delivers a powerful message of the importance of godly fatherhood.  You can't help but feel the hand of God motivating you to be like the courageous fathers that you see in the film.  It is a great tool for influencing the minds and lives of all who see it.  Courageous is now sold in our local Walmart!  Thank you David!

Sincerely,

Peter

". . .for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."  Philippians 4:11

Thank you Andrew

Here's the finished results of an idea that I had a while ago.  We recently submitted these to be printed on magnets by Vista Print.

Each family that owns a share of a cow will receive one of these magnets to show which cow they they own.  Being on a magnet, they can display it on their refrigerator for others to see.  I think it will connect them to the farm a little better and make them appreciate where their milk really comes from.  It is also a great way to spread the word about our dairy as it will bring up conversations at the customer's homes about them really owning their own milk cow. 

Andrew did all the work of designing on the magnets and used his latest new program Adobe Photoshop to do a few touch ups to the pictures.  There is few tools in Photoshop that he used to brush the cows and smooth out a few spots that their hair was ruffled.  He also swatted the flies on Sandy's nose with one of the tools.  Combine the skill of the user with the professionalism of the program and you have some pretty amazing results.  Thank you Andrew!

More another time,

Peter

"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:" 1 Peter 2:2