The Chase

by Clive Cussler

This is the second Clive Cussler book I have listened to and I really enjoyed them both. This one was a bit different than his usual Dirk Pitt story.

This one follows Isaac Bell, a private detective working for a large national agency in 1906. My mind said Pinkerton, which was a large, famous agency in the US during that time.

Bell, enters the case of a bank robber who has been hitting banks in the western part of the US. This area of the USA is still often quite wild. The robber is ruthless and extremely clever, apparently unable to be caught.

The story had a nice romance story running along with all the excitement and adventure.

One of the elements of this story that intrigued me the most was his interweaving of things happening during this time period; automobiles becoming more common, telephones and more modern photography. It was fun to note the limited forensics they could rely on, but methods that were becoming useful such as fingerprinting.

This was a fun story to listen to and I recommend it for listening or reading.

Thanksgiving Day

We had a nice quiet morning. I only made one pie and fresh baked rolls. Mom was cooking most of the meal with Theresa bringing the stuffing and another pie. It was nice to be able to relax and enjoy the morning at home. It was warm and rainy when we first got up. I was glad the temp had risen as they had originally predicted it to be wet and cold, which could have meant an unpleasant drive to Mom and Dad's.

We left around noon. We were pleasantly surprised that the traffic wasn't heavier.

There were 15 of us for dinner, Mom and Dad, Glenn and Theresa, Julia, Mariah, Abbie and Zeb and our crew. My guys love it when the cousins get together.

We finished up the dinner prep and had a very nice meal. There was a nice variety of traditional Thanksgiving fair and plenty for all, plus some.

Ready for our Thanksgiving feast

It was especially wonderful to see Dad doing so well. He had surgery on Monday and he looked great. He said he had very little discomfort and feels almost normal. This was a major item of thanksgiving this year.

Mom and Dad enjoy the meal

The kids had a wonderful time of playing. Gabe and Zeb especially enjoy being together, running, wrestling and lots and lots of giggling. Dan joined in but often decided the two older boys were playing just a bit too rough.

Three very happy boys

The girls play was more subdued. They enjoyed chatting and catching up on what each other were doing. They enjoyed quite a bit of time around the piano singing Christmas Carols.

Lovely ladies

Theresa is always busy. She has a wonderful servant's heart.

Bri helps in the kitchen

Papa and Dan

Dan loves playing with cousin Zeb

Glenn and Theresa brought Bessie a belated birthday gift, a wonderful new winter jacket, matching hat and gloves. Bessie was so happy with her gift and we all loved her hat.

Abbie models Bessie's new hat

After dinner, we all took a walk to do some geocaching. We had noticed a few caches near Mom and Dad's home and had hoped to get in a few. We managed one and had a fun time. It was only about 1/4 mile from their home, so we all were able to walk. I was surprised that Dad wanted to come. We took it slow and enjoyed the nice walk.

The cache was very wet, so we rescued a travel bug and I left a note for the owner that they need to do some maintenance. The spot was very lovely and it was a perfect addition to our Thanksgiving day.

There had been several inches of snow at Mom and Dad's this week, so of course the kids had to find any pile that was left and quite a few snowballs were being thrown around. It is amazing how little snow it takes for everyone to have some fun.

Dan tossing some snow

Mom and Dad and the kids

We had dessert after we got back from our walk.

It was a wonderful day. The kids were all very good and that is always a blessing. We are still dealing with some issues with the Littles, but it all worked out very well. It was a relaxing, fun, and enjoyable day.

We have so much to be thankful for.

Blackie's South Pole Adventure

Brian and Blackie have just returned home from their latest adventure. I think Blackie is getting tired. She has logged thousands and thousands of miles these last few months and gone almost from pole to pole. I must admit to be a bit envious of her experiences.


This time around their destination was Christchurch, New Zealand, McMurdo Station, Antarctica and the South Pole.

Blackie was not thrilled with the very long commercial flight to NZ. She much preferred the daily trips from McMurdo Station to the pole on the LC-130.

Here Blackie made sure Brian didn't miss any

of his switches in the Engineer's seat of the LC-130

Hmmm...who is this monkey trying to take over my territory

Objective complete...the South Pole

Blackie thought the new South Pole Station was quite impressive, but not as interesting as the old dome station. She is sure the people will find it more pleasant to live in. They will be removing the dome within the next year or two. They were in the process of digging it out preparing it for disassembly.

Here she helps Brian off-load fuel at

the South Pole from the Hercules

During their time in Antarctica, they transported Ann Curry from NBC and the Today Show crew to the South Pole. Blackie is a wise cat and wasn't overly impressed with all the hubbub over their national coverage...all in a days work.

They also had some excitement has they had to do an emergency evacuation from the South Pole of a worker who was seriously injured. Nothing is common place or easy when you are working at 10,000 ft. with temps well below zero.

Pre-Thanksgiving Days

We picked Brian up from the airport on Tuesday! We are all so glad to have him home. I know his trips aren't as long as so many that we know that are away for months at a time, but we miss him terribly when he is away. Life is so much more balanced when Bri is home.

Bessie and Gabe made up our blessing mix bags. You can go to De'Etta's blog to read about these. We will hopefully hand these out during the week.

The weather has been crazy, warm one day, cold the next, rain, snow, wind...a bit of everything.

We got the rest of my perennials in the garden and I planted some spring bulbs. I often get perennials at the end of the year at a much reduced price. They don't look like much and they often don't have their tags anymore, but I have found they do quite well and are a good value for the money. I also like to plant a few bulbs every fall. I am still hoping to naturalize some crocus bulbs into the lawn. We'll see if the weather holds out long enough to accomplish this. I have been known to be out in my garden even after the snow flies! I am such a procrastinator.

Blessed Child

by Ted Dekker and Bill Bright

I picked up this book from the library after seeing it on De'Etta's blog.

After several chapters, I almost quit reading it. I was part way through and except for the beginning chapters, it wasn't holding my attention very much. I am so glad I kept on reading.

I loved this book. I loved the imagery. I loved the way I felt after reading certain parts. I love being able to see with my mind's eye and the descriptions in this book are wonderful. I could feel God and His power.

Some books have given me wonderful pictures, Randy Alcorn's description of heaven, Frank Peretti's angels and demons and this book's image of God's love.

I found the book very powerful and it sure left me with a lot to think about. I look forward to reading the sequel A Man Called Blessed.

Highly recommend.

End of the Week

We have had a quiet week. We have had a cold run through all of the kids. The little girls had it the easiest. Gabe had it a bit longer and Dan and Bessie ended up with fevers added to the stuffy head. Everyone seems to be on the mend today and hopefully they will continue to improve over the weekend.

As a result of the colds, we cancelled Bessie piano lesson this week and Dan's speech therapist had to cancel because her children were ill. I guess many people are suffering from fall colds.

Dan looks quite happy but he had a fever

Mr. Teddy always helps

We did get some school done and even with the sniffles, the kids enjoyed the warmer weather outside.

Gabe doing his elephant imitation
Every so often I bring the little table in and let Hannah and Dan enjoy working at their level. It was a bit hit this week. They wanted to have their lunch at the table every day.

Rachel continues to improve her computer skills. This game is JumpStart math. All the kids love the computers. We have been blessed by a few people giving us their older computers. These work well for the kids to play their games on.

Homeschool Co-op

This fall we have been participating in a small homeschool co-op. It is working surprisingly well for us. They are focusing on activities like art, music, PE and drama, things that are more fun and often harder to do at home.

They are putting on a play the weekend after Thanksgiving. Bessie wasn't too sure about the whole thing, but I think she is getting into the swing of it. Having to wear a fancy outfit doesn't hurt. The little girls are enjoying the singing. Gabe did not want to participate. (There is always one!)

The little girls waiting for play instructions

Dan and his little fried Eva enjoy some "marker time" while

the big kids work on sets
Gabe loves the Foozeball table

Some weeks it is harder as Dan isn't old enough to participate in most of the activities, but as everyone gets to know each other better, he enjoys playing with some of the other little kids.

We will probably participate again in the spring session. It is nice that the kids are making friends and having fun in this type of setting.

Waiting for Snow

Usually by mid-November, we have had some snow. This fall has been unseasonably warm and until today, we haven't seen a bit of snow. The kids are very eager for some snow and more importantly, sledding.

They were using the sleds on the leaves last week and it worked surprisingly well. The leaves have since blown off the hill and the sled wasn't working so well anymore, so Gabe decided the wagon might give the appropriate thrill he desired.

I am not usually too nervous about these sorts of antics, but was a bit apprehensive about this, having visions of Calvin and Hobbs and severe crashes, but I let them go ahead.

What a hoot! They were able to control the wagon pretty well and they had a grand ole' time zooming down the hill. It was fun to watch. There were a fair share of crashes and tumbles into the brush, but nothing to deter them from climbing back up and having another run.

Here we go!

Well, almost a safe landing
We did get some flurries today and the forecast is for much colder weather, so I am sure we will see some snow soon. The kids can't wait, although I have been thoroughly enjoying the balmier fall weather.

Getting Wood

The kids have been helping me so much with Brian away.

They have been handling most of the firewood duties. This involves filling the wood ring in the house every day. It isn't a hard job, but I sure appreciate the help.

Of course, nothing like a little fun thrown in to make a job easier.

Gabe giving Rachel a lift back to the wood pile

Hannah works one stick at a time
Fill up the wagonTeamwork
A few more loads and we're done

It really amazes me how much work the kids now can do. A little instruction and they are usually quite willing to help out.

Give Thanks

We received this book in the mail yesterday from Christian Children's Book Review. CCBR is a blog dedicated to reviewing Christian Children's Books. During the month of November, they are having a daily giveaway and we won this book.

Give Thanks to the Lord is written by Karma Wilson and illustrated by Amy June Bates. I love this book. Based on Psalm 92, it talks about all the wonderful things about Thanksgiving. The Illustrations go so well with the story and throughout the story you read "It is good to give thanks to the Lord."

Click on the link above to check out the contest at CCBR or see their graphic in my sidebar. Also make sure you check out this book.

Some Photos

After looking through my camera I did find a few pictures from last week. A little bit of this and that.

Hannah and Dad enjoy the magnetic letters

We picked up a few new games. One is called Pegs in the Park. It is a simple counting game and easy for the Littles to play. We have been purchasing new games that the Littles can play.

The kids made fall wreaths using the leaf dies and the Sizzix machine. The younger crowd loves to do the cut and paste thing, so I'm trying to come up with simple, fun activities for them to do.

Who can resist a tent made from blankets and the card table

Cathing Up

I can't believe have lazy I have been with my blogging. I don't even have any decent pictures! Sorry about that!

Brian is away. The kids and I are bumping along with our usual routine. The girls have been working on the play that our homeschool co-op will be preforming Thanksgiving week. It is called "Turkey's On Strike"...hmmm, should be interesting.

We have had some minor sickness, one with a tummy upset, a few with the sniffles, nothing terrible, but annoying for all. Hopefully everyone will be well soon.

We finished up our boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Bess and Gabe have enjoyed putting these boxes together for many years. The Littles are still a bit unsure what the whole idea is about and are not too thrilled that all those fun toys are not for them, but we try and explain it the best we can. Hopefully with time, they will understand the importance of giving and serving others. We put together three boxes this year. I am setting a goal of doing one box a month for next year.

Sunday night our choir at church did a Veteran's Day performance of Stars and Stripes. We did this last year and it was very well received. I wasn't sure how many would come as it was on Veteran's Day this year and I know there are a lot of activities being held in the area, but we had a near full house. I sang a solo, which makes me nervous but I enjoy. One of our choir members, who is expecting, got very hot and light headed. The poor dear did her best to make it to the end, but finally had to get off the stage. We just stopped for a few moments, let her get off (with the help of her mom) and head out for some air. We opened a few windows after that and everyone was more comfortable.

We are having a half and half day today. It is the Veteran's Day holiday, but my kids rarely know the days the PS kids get off unless Bri is home. We have gotten some homeschool stuff done, but not a full day. Right now the kids are outside enjoying some air and getting firewood for the stove. Dan doesn't have speech today, so we will do some reading when they all come in. I am hoping to get some fun Thanksgiving activities in this week.

Gabe has been spending a lot of time playing his Lego Star Wars game. He received the game as a gift quite a while ago (we couldn't remember if it was this past Christmas or the one before), but we couldn't get it to work on any of our older computers. Brian bought me a new (used) laptop this summer and I thought I would try the game on that...it worked! He was so thrilled and has been having a great time. I don't usually let him play so much at one time, but it has been a good activity for him with Bri gone.

I borrowed a collection of Miss Marple DVDs from our library this past week. These were done by A & E and are very good. I am enjoying watching one episode each night. Usually I listen to books on tape and stitch, but this is a nice break.