Back to School

Last Monday found us beginning our new school year. After having finished up the previous year in mid-July, we enjoyed the break, and Queen Mom enjoyed the time to plan and order books! Homeschooling offers many temptations in the way of curriculum, and it can get exhausting to reevaluate one's plans and approach each year.
After much prayer and research, I'm delighted to say that I think I've found what we'll be using through high school. The children are enjoying their assignments and reading, and Mommy is enjoying the pace. Of course, we tweak the plan as necessary, according to our convictions as well as preferences, but overall, it's nice to have so much of the planning work already done. The main hurdle is my having enough time to read ahead and be familiar with the Scribe's and Little Big Man's readings.
I'm sure the children would love to have you take a peek at what they're reading and working on. Just visit http://www.amblesideonline.org/. Click on Years 1 (Reaches Up and Whistler), 5 (Little Big Man), and 7 (Scribe). By the way, the "years" don't correspond with traditional public school grades. You'll be able to see their book lists as well as their schedules.

Love,
Queen Mom

The Value of Narration

From the beginning, we've used a technique called "narration" in our homeschool. It's quite simple. After listening to a reading, the child tells back what he/she remembers. As our children get older, they begin writing several of their narrations each week. It truly is amazing what benefits this simple approach offers. Here's a narration by Whistler (completely in her own words) that she gave to me this morning after listening to the story last night. (Normally, we narrate immediately after our readings, but since we read the fable late last night, this Mommy decided to type it out in the morning.) I was amazed at what Whistler remembered and at how well she articulated her story.

"The Eagle and the Jackdaw"

An eagle swopped down and seized a lamb. A jackdaw saw the deed and got it in his silly head that he could do the same thing. He swooped down and landed on the back of a ram. But when he tried to soar up, he found that he could not because his claws were entangled in the wool. So far was he from carrying away the ram that the ram hardly noticed he was there. A farmer saw the jackdaw fluttering, and, at once, knew what he had gotten into his silly head. He went over and clipped the jackdaw's wings. That night he gave the jackdaw to his children. "What a funny bird this is!" said his children. "What kind of bird is it, father?" "This, my children, " said the farmer, "is a jackdaw. But if you should ask him, he would say he is an eagle." Do not let vanity cause you to overestimate your powers.

(From Aesop's Fables)

By A Landslide

The poll is officially closed, and we are overwhelmed by the responses! An amazing number of visitors voted (FIVE! Aren't there more people than that reading this thing?) in our poll regarding Next Girl's name. The "Other Letter" won by a landslide! It just so happens, too, that Mountain Man and I have selected a name that doesn't begin with the letter "E." But, we'll save that for another post...

Love,
Queen Mom

Variegated Fritillary

Reaches Up and Whistler were delighted to find this beautiful butterfly today! It was injured and could no longer fly. We eagerly searched our field guides and excitedly discovered that we were holding a Variegated Fritillary. Whistler happily kept this delicate creature by her side most of the afternoon.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Seen at church on Sunday morning...

Elisabeth: (16 months) lifts her hands to the LORD as we sing hymns and the Gloria Patri
Mommy: wipes the tears from her eyes


As Boo and Mommy are entering the bedroom to dress Boo for bed....
Boo: "Are there any monsters in here?"
Mommy: "What do you think?"
Boo: "No."
Mommy: "But, who is in here?"
Boo: "Jesus"
Mommy: "That's right. And He said He'll never leave you or forsake you."
Boo: "Jesus died on the cross for me."
Mommy: "That's right!"
Boo: "To take away my sins."


"...Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise.." Matt. 21:16

Happy Anniversary

We celebrate 21 years of marriage today and 21 years of God's mercy and grace! We never could have guessed what a wonderful life God would give us. We're so very thankful!

More Views from the 'Voo

Daddy with Scribe, Little Big Man, Reaches Up, and his princesses, Whistler and Boo. Where's Little Bit? She couldn't tear herself away from the dirt.

Views from the 'Voo

Scribe competes in the camp hawk and knife throw, while Little Bit and Boo attentively watch.

Handsome Reaches Up sitting in a chair he and Daddy made the weekend before the 'Voo.

Friends

While the men were roughing it, the little ladies enjoyed a beautiful day with their friends, Miss Emma and Miss Charlotte. All of the girls are standing in a lovely playhouse that Mr. R built for his daughters.

Little Bit and the Recorder

Some of our children are enjoying learning to play the Recorder, and Little Bit is no exception. Here she joyfully attempts to master the current lesson.

Palin & McCain - Part 2

Dr. William Einwechter wrote a very helpful article "Sarah Palin and the Complementarian Compromise", linked here , dealing with common arguments that some evangelicals will use to uphold their support of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, and so I may often quote him this post and those to come on this subject. In this post, though, we will mainly take an overview of this whole situation with Palin and evangelicals, and look at the first of three common arguments used by some Christians to "uphold" their support of Palin. By the way, in case you aren't familer with it, the term complementarian refers to someone who believes that men and women have different but complentary roles according to God's revealed will. Here is a quote by Einwechter: "One would surmise that the nomination of Palin would create a dilemma for politically conservative Christians who say they believe that God has given a woman the distinct and important roles of wife, mother, and keeper at home. How so? On the one hand, Palin is a political conservative who seems to hold the right position on the issues most important to Christians; she purports to be pro-life, pro-second amendment, pro-marriage, pro-family, and she herself is a professed evangelical Christian."

"More to the point is the fact that Sarah Palin is a professing Christian, a wife, and a mother of five children, one of her children being a baby with Down Syndrome. The inescapable dilemma for these politically conservative complentarians, it would seem, is how to reconcile their support of Palin's candidacy with their professed support of Palin's biblically mandated roles of wife and mother. In addition to these considerations, the complementarian must face the question of whether or not it is biblically proper for a woman to rule over men in the civil sphere; after all, in their veiw, women are not to serve as pastors, and women are to submit to their own husbands in the home."

"But, as it turns out, there is no real dilemma here for the complementarians. Sarah Palin the vice presidential candidate and Sarah Palin the mother of five presents no necessary contradiction in their system. A wife and a mother of five children who is called by God to be a keeper at home (Titus 2:5), and who, in their view, is not qualified to be the head of her home or to be the elder of a local church (simply because she is a woman), is qualified and free, they believe, to seek the vice presidency of the United States of America. How can this be? Two recent blog entries by David Kotter and Albert Mohler reveal how this all fits together in their worldview."

Alright folks, with that under our belts and laying the foundation here, we'll move onto the first argument that evangelicals use to support their endorsment of Palin. Ready... here it is: There Are No Biblical Standards That Apply To Civil Magistrates.

According to Kotter, Christians are free to support Palin because there are no standards in the Bible that can define for us the qualifications for civil magistrates. He argues that the state is strictly a secular institution and thus God does not require those civil magistrates to be Christian or ethical. Alright, let's just pause right here for a moment. First, I'd like to say that there are defined standards in the Bible concerning civil magistrates. Duet. 1:13 and Exodus 18:21 for example. Dr. Einwechter points out that both of these passages specify that the leaders must be men. There are lots of other scripture passages as well that give the biblical standards for civil magistrates, such as 2 Sam. 23:3; Rom. 13:1-6; Prov. 29:2; 2 Chron. 19:6-7; Neh. 7:2; Duet. 16:18-20; 17:14-20. ..."in every one of these texts," Einwechter says, "men, not women, are in view." I might add that Doug Phillips, of Vision Forum, makes the case that in the passages speaking about the qualifications for being a civil magistrate, the Hebrew word used means literally male, and is not the same Hebrew word which refers to mankind.

Second, if Kotter is right, and God does not require civil magistrates to be Christian or even ethical, then we Christians can go ahead and vote for whoever we want to, be it the basest, most immoral person who's on the presidential ticket, and, if we follow Kotter's thinking, say that it's not sin! Have Christians just tossed good logic and God's Word out the window?

(And let's think about Palin for a moment: how can she justify through God's word the fact that she has attached herself to a man like McCain who, by his voting record, clearly supports abortion? Scripture says that light has no fellowship with darkness, so how can someone who claims to be an advocate for unborn children biblically back up the fact that she is joining with one whose views on the subject of abortion differ so widely from her own?! She can't. That's just it!)

Kotter also says that a president does not have to go by the same moral standards as an elder in a church. The implications of this statement are huge. That means that Christians can just disregard God's word when November 4th rolls around; that they are "let off the hook" so to speak when it comes to voting according to biblical standards. Kotter is also compartmentalizing Christianity. He's basically saying that you should act one way outside the ballot box, and then act a totally different way when you're in the ballot box. God's guidelines for righteous living do not change at all, whether you're the elder of a church or the president of the United States. God says to be holy for He is holy. He doesn't say that you can be holy here, but not there, follow His Word here, but not there - no, he says simply to be holy. No ifs, ands, or buts - simply be holy. And throughout the Bible, I think we can see that one aspect of holiness is obeying God in all matters - civil or private - and not picking and choosing where we will follow the Bible and where we won't.

Persevero,

Scribe


Recommended listening: Biblical Principals in the Ballot Box by Doug Phillips, available at www. visionforum.com

Little Bit's First Tea

While our men were gone this past weekend, the girls and I had tea, of course. Little Bit was eager to have her first cup, and here are some pictures. We're not sure how much tea she actually ingested, but she had fun trying, as you can see.

Palin & McCain - Part 1

Before I begin, I would like to thank my good friend Curtis for his wonderful post concerning this very subject, as I will refer to it during the course of my commentary here. So thanks, Curtis, for such an insightful post. Few people could have put it more clearly or boldly as you did. :)

Alright, now if you folks have been keeping up with the presidential campaigns, you'll know that not too long ago, Senator McCain made a strategic move by selecting Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska to be his running mate. I'll not delve into why this was a smart move on his part because I'm not here to discuss that. I have a completely different matter to address: the fact that so many evangelicals are saying now that they'll vote for McPalin, "to keep Obama out of office or because they figure that the odds are against McCain and his bouts with melanoma, leaving the door wide open for Palin to step in and really turn this country around," as Curtis says.

Okay, now what's wrong with that reasoning? Here's how Curtis puts it: "...the problem with both of these reasons is that the first assumes that we are somehow in control of the election and that not voting forMcpalin is voting for Obama and the second assumes that the person holding the office of Commander in Chief can somehow single-handedly turn the country around. The former needs to learn about the sovereignty of God, and the latter needs to sit down with the U.S. Constitution and read up on the powers of the president."

Amen to that! Both of the reasons above make no sense and are faulty. Also, it is sad to see so many Christians sacrifice their ideals to vote for McPalin. They're showing that they are not truly grounded in what they believe, that they will compromise Christian values, and that they'll put political affairs above what Christ teaches. Curtis says it well right here: "For some reason, they (the evangelicals) are willing to sacrifice Biblical standards in order to do what they, in their impotent human "power", think is the best course of action to slow the Country's gradual progression towards liberalism. Somehow, they think that it is beneficial to vote for a ticket that includes a waffling, pandering, political moderate (is there a picture of a weaker leader?) and a woman who wants to abdicate her full time job as a wife and mother to someone else in the interest of "saving the country" (is there an example of greater hypocrisy?) simply because they think it is a better option than the alternative. Somehow they think their idea is better than God's."

Do you need it put any clearer? What those Christians are saying is hypocritical and just plain unbiblical. Palin is opting to reject the Scriptural role God has for her, to serve a man other than her husband and fulfill an office in her Country's government instead of raising her children. She obviously values filling a political office above nurturing her family. Titus 2:3-5 says, "The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed."

I have here also a quote by Dr. Voddie Baucham: "My heart breaks for her (Palin). She has been blessed beyond measure with five incredible children, but she is running hard after what the world says is 'something more'. I fear she will regret this someday. In fact, I believe she already does. I can't imagine her going to sleep at night without a nagging feeling in the back of her mind as she thinks about the time with her children that she will never get back. My heart breaks for her children. Their mother, by all reports, is an incredible, intelligent, energetic mother with a great deal to offer. Unfortunately, right now she is offering it to the people of Alaska, and the people of the United States of America when her first priority is to offer it to them. God designed them to flourish under the nurturing care of their mother, not some surrogate. My heart breaks for her husband. Mrs. Palin is not even supposed to be the head of her own household (Eph. 5:22ff; Col. 3:18; Titus 2:5; 1 Peter 3:1-70, let alone the State of Alaska, or the United States Senate (The VP oversees the Senate). He should be shepherding her, but instead she is ruling over him (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17). How difficult it must be for him to walk the fine line of bowing to the culture that is stealing his bride while still trying to love his wife and lead his family." More posts to come regarding other issues concerning Palin.

Persevero,
Scribe

A Closer Look at Christopher Paolini's Eragon

Alright, let me start out by telling you that I happen to be a great fan of fantasy books like The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, The Prydain Chronicles, and The Chronicles of Narnia (though I must say that I do not agree with everything in those books). I love such tales of imaginary lands, battles, and characters, and like creating my own lands and stories out of my imagination; therefore you can see that I am not reviewing this book based on some bias against fantasy. I am going to present my review based upon the principles, commands, and rules laid out for us in God's Word. So stay with me, as I'm going to cover a big amount of material here in the following paragraphs.

To begin with, I watched the film Eragon about a year and a half ago, and as the movie turned out better than I had expected, I was intrested in reading the actual book, which is the first installment of three books called The Inheritance Cycle. About a month ago, my mom, rather reluctantly, let me borrow and begin the book, with the understanding that if there was objectionable material, we would not continue with the series (you must know that my mom and dad carefully screen books or movies that make it into our home).
As you can imagine I eagerly delved into the story, and in less than twenty four hours, had finished it. But by the time I was done, I had formed an entirely different opinion of the book than I had had before...

My first and greatest objection is that magic is probably the most prevelent theme throughout the entire story; but let me clarify something: I have no problem with the evil side using sorcery, as most of the time, like in the case of the White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia, the wicked ones are a picture of Satan and his followers (there is an interesting topic about this concerning The Lord of the Rings, which I will address some other time). Satan and his followers are evil, and therefore since God is good and so are his commands, Satan and those with him hate God, his goodness, and his commands. No having the bad guys use magic does not bother me. I have an issue with the belief that magic and those who use it can be good. Now what scripture in the Bible does that contradict? "There shall not be found among you...one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer (a fortune-teller), or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritists, or one who calls up the dead (necromancy). For all these things are an aboination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out before you." Duet. 18:9-12.

Do you need any clearer proof that God hates such practices? And that scripture is only one of many that denounces magic and the use of it (see Lev.19:31, Isa. 8:19, Mal. 3:5, Jer. 10:2, Mic. 3:7, 1 Sam. 15:23 for a few more refrences). Search the Bible and see for yourself, if you don't believe me. You might say that magic and sorcery are not the same, but that such thinking is faulty and unbiblical. Magic, sorcery, witchcraft, astrology - they all point to one thing: the devil and his wickedness.

In the book Eragon, I often came across paragraphs which tried to separate wizards, fortune-tellers, witches, and the like into diferent categories of good and evil, but this too is wrong - the Bible condemns anyone who connects with spirits, tries to decipher the future or whatever "signs" they think they see in the stars (like astrology), or casts spells, or any of that stuff! There is no such thing as a "good witch" or a "good wizard". Sure, there are different ways to practice magic, like calling up the dead, conversing with sprits, or conjuring spells, but all of these are still evil. There's no gettin' around it! The main character in the book, and in fact several key people, cast spells and use magic in the cause of good, and it doesn't take a rocket-scientist to figure out that what we just read from Duet. clashes with this. In my opinion, you might as well read the Harry Potter books! (Remember, I'll address The Lord of the Rings later.)

Okay, I've addressed that issue, so lets move on. I also came across passages where profane language is used. The Bible tells us to "let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good and profitable..." Thus the use of profanity is not excusable. It's right there in front of you.

Thirdly, the charcters worship false gods. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." Those are the words of the first of the Ten Commandments. Now what I'm talking about here is different from the use of characters that represent God, like Aslan (The Chronicles of Narnia), or Iluvitar (The Silmarillion). These characters represent the one true God, who created all things. In Eragon, there are many gods, and thus it cannot be said that they represent the Lord God.

Fourthly, the author obviously does not hold the same views of courtship and marriage as my family. In one scene, one of the characters kisses the girl he loves before they are man and wife. We believe the kiss is a sacred thing, something to be given only to the person you are married to and not to someone other than your spouse. When you protect yourself in this area, you're protecting the purity of your heart, saving it for that one and only spouse God may have for you.
Lastly, there is a crude refrence to adultery in one scene. Like profanity, I see not what it adds to the story, but for some reason the author seemed to think it was necessary. The Bible tells us to think on things that are pure. So unless you're going to say that adultery is pure, lovely, and admirable (in which case I suggest that you look more closely at God's Word) I think you'll agree its quite clear that we should not dwell on such things.

Well, there you have it: my review on the book Eragon. I hope it has been helpful, and I would appreciate any comments you might have, whether you agree or disagree with my view on the subjects just discussed. May all I've written be to the glory of God

Taking Every Word Captive to the Obedience of Christ,

<>Scribe<>

A Rondy-Voo Journal - Part 4

And here at last be the final installment o' our time up at the rendezvous...
Next mornin', which was Saturday, was our last day at the Cache Le Plew, an' knowin' we had to make the most o' it, we got an' early start.

First thing after breakfast (an awesome casserole made by Uncle Kent), my fren J an' I followed Mountain Man an' Uncle Kent to the shootin' range, while Little Big Man, his fren T, an' Reaches Up went to throw some sticks on the archery walk (here it might be noted that there was a mite o' trouble gettin' our shootin' gear together, an' that much as I would like to say it, we wouldn't ha' made it into the band o' Minute Men gathered durin' the War for Independence. Now if there were sech a thing as the Hour Men...). :)

At the shootin' range Uncle Kent, fren J, Mountain Man, an' I threw some balls at some animal targets in a contest called The Varmints Shoot. As soon as we finished up that (and accomplished several trips back to camp to restock our ammo) we all hoisted up our guns on our shoulders an' did the Rifle Walk (this second time, fren J an' I only shot for fun, as we had already done it fer score). As I watched Mountain Man an' Uncle Kent throw lead at them thar targets, I couldn't help but be glad I wasn't on the wrong side of them gun barrels! Ha!

An hour later found us returnin' to camp, where Dad an' I met Little Big Man an' Reaches Up. Mom an' the young ladies o' our home also drove up from the house to visit us. As they arrived right around the time appointed for the hawk an' knife throwin', they settled down with a tin-type machine an' watched the proceedin's (gotta love them new-fangled gadgets, even if cameras are several centuries ahead o' the fur trade).

First came the Camp Throw, which was jest throwin' single turns at a ard in the middle o' a log; after that Reaches Up, Mountain Man, Little Big Man, an' I joined other men in a rather complicated contest, made up by our friend Many Scars who also happens to be a famous knife-maker. We had to throw both hawk an' knife at a log criss-crossed by rubber bands. If'n you cut the rubber bands - zip! ya get a zero...notta...nothin'...get my meanin'? After ya threw that part o' the competition (whether ye got a good or bad score), ye had to throw distance throws (turn-and a- half, double, etc.) at a log that was close to the size o' an M&M. Okay, maybe not that small, but it was the smallest log out thar, alright! That too was fun, though challenging, an' even if we didn't win (though Little Big Man lived up to his name by scorin' among some o' the top throwers) it was a great throw, an' everyone enjoyed it. :D

Forty-five minutes later everybody in camo gathered for the award ceremony an' coucil fire. As the Rendezvous was dedicated to a reenactor who had recently passed away, his son stood up an' made a short speech on his behalf, an' then in respect Dad an' six other men fired a seven-gun salute (see picture).

As soon as this ceremony was finished, the winners of the various events were announced. I have below a list of the events won by me an' my brothers jest in case your interested:

• 1st place Camp Throw (ages 9-12): Little Big Man
• " " " " (ages 5-8): Reaches Up
• " " " " (ages 13-15): Scribe (Soli Deo Gloria...even I know a bit o' Latin!)
• " " Rifle Walk (Youth): Scribe (Soli Deo Gloria)
• 3rd " " " (Youth): Little Big Man
• 1st " Archery Walk (Youth): Scribe (Soli Deo Gloria)
• 2nd " " " (Youth): Little Big Man
• 1st " Varmint Shoot (Youth): Scribe (Soli Deo Gloria)

Well, thar ya have it, folks! And though "officially" Dad did not win anything off the prize blankets, if it hadn't been fer him, we'd ha' never known how to throw a hawk or knife, shoot a gun, or even participate in rendezvous like this one. He be the one who taught us what it is to be a good sport even when you ain't the winner, how to be a gentelmen,, an' most o' all how to be a bold, manly follower of Christ. Thanks fer everythin', Dad! :)

And now I'll jest wrap up by sayin' that all the glory for our success in the events goes to God, the Maker of all things. There's no higher callin' than to be a soldier in His Army!

Now, I'd better get back to me boks - it is the first day o' school for the Poff Clan, an' 'twouldn't do for me to fall behind in me learnin' already would it now (not that its ever okay)? :) So goodbye fer now!

-Scribe

A Rondy-Voo Journal - Part 3

And here's the third part of this here journal of our doin's at the Cache Le Plew...

The followin' day was Friday, the 19th o' September, and when we woke in the mornin', we was ready to get goin'!

Our breakfast was a simple but good meal of oatmeal, made sweet with wild berries an' apples picked fresh from the trees an' bushes growin' wild and free in the wilderness land... nah, jest kiddin'! We used them pre-made instant oatmeal packets (not that the fur trappers knew of Kirkland Brand). And as fer them wild fruit bushes an' trees growin' close by - well, let's jest say I were exageratin' o' mite. The only fruit a-growin' in that thar country we was in were those funny tastin' juniper berries... wouldn't care to flavor me victuals with those! Ha! ;D

Well, after we had washed the food down with some swigs o' orange juice (unfortunately I cannot say that it was the fresh squeezed kind), Little Big Man cleaned up the dishes an' then all o' us headed off with our smoke sticks to throw some lead on the Rifle Trail Walk... well, I guess I ought to explain o' bit, as from my previous words you might think Reaches Up had a smoke stick, too. :) Nah, unfortunately, Reaches Up has to put on some more muscle an' weight to be able to handle them thar weapons, as they're a might heavy. Yep, you can't expect to hit yer target if'n ya can't even hold yer gun up, right?

Anyhow, Reaches Up did come in handy... he became an equipment carrier o' sorts, if ya follow me, an' we found him quite helpful (but he is lookin' forward to the time when he can get up thar an' blow holes in rifle targets). Unfortunately, it was found when we got up thar that there weren't enough powder for him, Little Big Man, and me to shoot at the same time. He therefore decided that he would shoot later when we was done, an' so without further adieu, we began throwin' balls at them thar targets...

An hour later found us finished with that most enjoyable event, an' Little Big Man an' I shot our tie-breakers so that would be done. After that, we traipsed right back down to camp, where we found some frens of ours settin' up their tent 'near ours. Uncle Kent an' his two boys J an' T are long time pals of ours, an' after howdy-do's an' all that ceramony, Mountain Man, Little Big Man, Reaches Up, and me took a good, long break ( yep, and we smelled like gun-powder an' smoke by now, not that anythin's wrong with that, ya understand).

A little later, after the smoke sticks had been cleaned Little Big Man, Reaches Up and I went on up with Uncle Kent an' his boys to do the knife and hawk walk with 'em. Of course, my brothers an' I had already done it once, but as it was so much fun, we decided to do it with our frens jest for fun.

Once that was done, we all went back to our camps, and the suppers were prepared. :) My dad and brothers an' me had a scrumptious fare of scrambled cow meat with taters, onions, an' peppers - I'd almost say that dinner will be an all time favorite in my family! Boy, oh boy, did those victuals taste good - especially after such a long day! Uncle Kent, who, jest so you know, is a camp cook extraordinaire, battered up some bits o' chicken an' fried 'em, along with a pot o' corn and mashed taters. As he an' his boys had chicken wings leftover, they invited us o'er to eat the remains with 'em. Full as we was, my brothers an' I found yet more room to tuck away them scrumptious pieces o' battered meat!

Uncle Kent also made a big dessert for everyone, too (he knows how to cook jest 'bout anythin' in a dutch oven or cast iron cookware). It was a cake with chocolate on the bottom, vanilla on the top, an' cherries in between! And was that ever good!

After that, everyone sat around the fire, swappin' tales an' jokes, until at last, one by one we retired to our tents where we fell to snoozin' - ZzZzZzZzZzZz....

-Scribe

"You did what?!"

Those two mountain men were smilin' quite perty for a little bit there...

...until they heard rumours about the surprises my pals an' I had hid in their bedrolls!

NOTE: Scribe is currently recuperatin' from some bruises an' lacerations that he took in the whoopin' that occured not long after the takin' o' this here tin type!

A Rondy-Voo Journal - Part 2

Well guys, here be another part o' the story about our time at the rondy-voo...
Next mornin', we all got up 'bout 7:00 and set about preparin' for a day o' hard competin'!
As a man can't set about his tasks very well without victuals fer fuel, I set about makin' breakfast: eggs and sausage.
Now I have to say I wern't very optomistic about the look o' them dead chicks cookin' in the skillet. For some reason, I couldn't get by the fact that makin' eggs in a cast iron pan ain't the same as makin' 'em in a non-stick skillet (and no I don't know what one o' them is either!).
Anyhow, despite my apprehension, the food turned out fine (I did detect the faint taste of ash, since good ol' Little Big Man kept stirrin' up the fire pit and sendin' bits o' burnt wood into my pan o' eggs). :)
But what I didn't count on concernin' breakfast was that our good friends Long Tongue and Many Scars, were bein' a bit gourmet in their food pickin's. Yep, Long Tongue and Many Scars, two grizzled old timers and great friends o' ours, were cookin' not swine... not bovine... but Antelope!
Bein' the kindly souls they are, they invited us over for a taste of their breakfast. And boy was it good! I can't really describe the flavor, though I can say it had a distinct, appetizin' taste (no, it didn't taste like chicken). Well, we enjoyed that, but knew the time was drawin' near for us to do the real deal - ya know, the stuff we came up there to do (life's not jest about eatin', right?).
After some practice, we all went up with a couple frens to throw some sticks on the archery walk. That were great fun, though I have to say I weren't too keen about eatin' the game we shot - cardboard and styrofoam don't agree with the pallet most o' the time. ;)
When that was done, we picked up a few more companions to increase our band, and then went up to the hawk an' knife walk, where we succeeded in slicin' logs, cuttin' cards, and maybe even bustin' up handles. Go figure.
Unfortunately, we didn't get to throw no lead with our smoke sticks that day. Besides, we was clean wore out by the time those two events was accomplished (actually, Little Big Man and Reaches Up seemed ready an' rearin' to do everythin' again even faster)!
We also got our first rain shower in five years up there at the camp. Thankfully we didn't get too soggy as it jest drizzled a bit. Funny thing was, the storm couldn't make up its mind - every time I thought it was done it'd start up again, and I'd sit back for the hundredth time, jest awaitin' for it to clear up so I could move out from under cover (but we are thankful to the good Lord for waterin' His creation). :)
I was able to succeed in doin' a little swappin' with the trader up there. I was able to get myself a good quiver for me arrows for five greenbacks and a couple pieces o' my handywork. Perty good, huh?
Thankfully, our dinner o' steaks turned out well, and this time, when we made hot cocoa, I made sure that the water was really, truly, absolutely boilin'! :D

- Scribe

A Rondy-Voo Journal - Part 1

Howdy, folks! This be Scribe here, gettin' ready to give an account of our doin's at the Cache Le Plew (that's French, jest so ya know) Rendezvous! So you'd better find a seat, as this'll be quite a tale...
On the 17th of Sept, Mountain Man, Reaches Up, Little Big Man, and I went on up to the site of the rendezvous, and began settin' up camp. Boy, was that fun (nah, jest kiddin'! We was all half dead by the time we was done)! Really though, it was perty neat seein' our tent an' stuff set up.
After that, we all got dressed up in style! Yeehah! Boy, did our buckskins feel good after such a long time o' wearin' them flatlander garments! We was ready for shinin' times at the rondy-voo( that's mountain man spellin').
When we had got all ready, we went 'round to the different other camps, greetin' old friends, and sayin' howdy-do to new ones. Yep, 'twas all perty nice, and in no time 'tall, we was feelin' at home, talkin' the good ol' mountain man language (that most respectable tongue includes ol' favorites, like "ain't"), and gettin' good an' dirty (yep, ye can't be one o' the group without a respectable 'mount of grime, soot, and sod rubbed into yer clothes, hair, an' all! Ha!) :D
Then, as 'twas gettin on dinner time, I, bein' dubbed camp cook all o' the sudden, began the evenin' meal: homemade beefstew an' cornbread! Yum! :)
After we had done stuffed ourselves full ( yessiree, I even filled that hollow leg o' mine), dinner clean up began! Well, as I was the camp cook o' sorts, I "arranged" for Little Big Man to do the dishes ( any o' ya'll ever cleaned cast iron afore?). Did he ever like that! :) I'm still awaitin' his thanks!
While the "washerman" did the dirty dishes, I stuck a pot o' water on for hot cocoa ('twas dark by this time). Twenty five minutes later, I took it off, believin' that the water was well nigh scaldin' already (I done forgot that cookin' o'er the fire ain't the same as on a gas stove... not that I know what one o' them is). I poured the water into the cups of cocoa, stirred well, and then served 'em, waitin' for praise about my superior hot-cocoa -makin'-expertise! Five minutes later, all I heard was "yeck!" and "did you stir this stuff up?". Even Dad made a face at the brown liquid in his cup! What went wrong? Turns out the fire hadn't quite heated the water enough, and ya'll know that them cocoa packets don't stir up when the water ain't hot! To tell the truth, it was quite nasty. The water was brown alright, but there wern't no taste; jest brown, unmixed cocoa powder at the bottom o' the cup! Yeck! :)
Well, that did it for the first day, and soon we all retired to our bedrolls and blankets for a good night's rest. As it was rather warm, I decided I wouldn't get in my sleepin' bag, but would jest lie there under the blankets. A couple hours later, I woke up freezin' (wish I had had a thermometer). Then I found my warm bag most agreeable! :D

-Scribe

Update from Camp #2

It's now day 4 of the rendezvous, and the girls and I are ready for our men to come home. However, we were excited to be able to see them at camp today, and God gave us beautiful weather and a wonderful visit with them. Their camp looked great--active and dirty. :) A good friend of ours, Uncle Kent, and his boys, J and T, camped right next to the Poff Men, which made for good conversation and delicious food. (Uncle Kent is the famous camp cook!)

The girls and I were able to watch Mountain Man and the boys compete in the hawk and knife throws. Everyone did great; however, poor Mountain Man did have to take some ribbing from one of the judges about the fact that Scribe and Little Big Man outscored him. Little Bit was content to just play in the dirt, dropping it in her hair and all over her clothes. (Great pictures to come!) Boo enjoyed the candy from the candy cannon--yes, it smelled of gun powder, and Whistler was making plans for joining the men next year, admiring the ladies' pretty dresses and dreaming of wearing her own. (Help, Caity and Marissa!)

I was able to get lots of great shots of camp and the men throwing, so we'll post those as soon as the guys come home. Tonight, Scribe and Reaches Up were surprised to receive the great honor of getting their Mountain Man names...something like "Scribe" and "Reaches Up." Go figure.

Love,
Queen Mom

The King's Daughter: A Book Review by Whistler (age 7)

I just finished The King's Daughter. My favorite story was called "Telling Mother." It was about four girls who were in a circle on the sidewalk, whispering, until a little girl came up. Then, the little girl said, "What are you whispering about?" One of the big girls said, "I'm telling a secret to them. Promise not to tell, and I'll tell you." Then the little girl said, "I won't tell anyone except my Mother. I always tell her things because she is my best friend." And then the big girl said, "Then we won't tell you." The little girl walked away, rather sadly, but happily. She said, "What I cannot tell my mother is unfit for me to know." The End.

This is my favorite story because I like how the little girl did not listen because she likes to tell her mother everything. I think other girls would love this book. It inspires girls to love one another, to keep their room clean and their clothes nice. It also teaches girls to encourage one another. It also talks about repentance and Jesus dying on the cross.

Go to the Ant...

Never fear, dear grandparents, there are no sluggards being raised in the Poff Clan! I finally, after many hours of planning and tweaking, finished the children's updated chore lists. That was quite a chore itself. Organizing and planning, although required in a family our size, are not my giftings, and I really have to work hard at them. Thankfully, Managers of Their Chores and http://www.chorepacks.com/ have been lifesavers! Having our chores planned out offers many wonderful rewards: a more cheerful Mommy, a cleaner and more organized home, and peaceful occupants just to name a few. You'd be proud--your grandchildren are hard workers, and even more important, they're gradually learning to do all things as unto the LORD. Here's a sampling of their day and week (excluding the obvious things like brush teeth, get dressed, etc.):

Scribe: (Daily)Breakfast prep, dress Little Bit, vacuum, wipe down bathroom, pick up bedroom, empty clutter basket, sweep floor, dinner clean-up, dress Boo for bed (Weekly) empty potassium, sweep/clean laundry room floor, laundry, scrub tub, and mop living room floor

Little Big Man: (Daily)Sweep kitchen floor, clean breakfast dishes, pick up bedroom, empty clutter basket, play with Elisabeth until Circle Time, lunch prep, dinner clean-up, sweep floor at dinner (Weekly) Clean microwave, wash sheets and towels, dust piano, organize DVDs, clean van, vacuum bedroom, mop kitchen floor

Whistler: (Daily) Clean kitchen table (all meals), empty dishwasher, fold towels/washcloths, empty dish drainer, pick up room, empty clutter basket, set lunch table, dinner prep, clear dinner dishes, make Daddy's coffee (weekly) vacuum bedroom, clean tile entry way, vacuum/clean high chair, dust living room furniture and buffet hutch, clean glass table, stock toilet paper

Reaches Up: (Daily) Clean high chair tray (all meals), put away shoes at entry way, fold towels/washcloths, put away silverware, pick up bedroom, empty clutter basket , clear dinner dishes (weekly) wipe down kitchen chairs, clean tile entry way, vacuum edges of cottage room and dining room, clean wall behind trash can, clean dog bowls

Boo: (Daily) Set breakfast table, feed and water dog, Mommy's helper

Are you tired, yet? Believe it or not, even after all that work, there is still PLENTY for Mommy to do (actually, I know you Grandmas believe it since you've been there and done that), but I'm so thankful that "many hands make light work," and we're all working together while learning to do all things for HIS glory.

Work while you work, play while you play.

That is the way to be cheerful all day.

All that you do, do with your might.

Things done by halves are never done right.

One thing each time and that done well

is a very good rule as many can tell.

Moments are useless trifled away; so

Work while you work and play while you play."

-M.A. Stodart

It's Always Amazing

Here's Next Girl at just 13 weeks! (almost 5 weeks ago) Amazing!

Precious Moments

A conversation that happens in our home several times a day......

Boo: "Mommy, may I see the baby?"

Queen Mom: "Sure, sweetie."
(Mommy shows her tummy, and Boo rubs her little hand across it)

Boo: "That's our baby. That's my baby sister. God made that baby."

Queen Mom: "Yes, Boo, that's our baby."
(Who never tires of hearing her little one delight in a miracle from God)

Holiness by J.C. Ryle

Mountain Man and Scribe will begin reading this next week. The goal is to read a chapter a week and meet for discussion. Hopefully, Scribe will be able to post a weekly summary of key points and thoughts. So, who wants to join them? (C'mon, MeMaw, this is no marshmallow fluff. :) ) This book is available from Amazon for under $13.00, and I'm sure Scribe would love to have some of his grandparents or aunts following along. Let us know if you're up for the challenge. :)

P.S. A chapter a week is the goal, but we're very aware that life happens, so we're quite "flexible."

Update from Camp

I talked to my Beloved this morning, and he reports a great first night at the rendezvous. He loves the new tent--it's nice and roomy! He's very pleased with their camp set up, and everyone enjoyed the homemade beef stew and yummy corn muffins last night for dinner. Scribe was working on a breakfast of sausage and eggs as we spoke.

The girls and I are REALLY missing our men, but God blessed us with a lovely day yesterday. (If you could have only seen Little Bit enjoying Bagel Bites--I should have taken a picture!)Today we'll be having lunch with some friends and enjoying the beautiful weather.

Love,
Queen Mom

More for MeMaw and Grandma

Little Bit's first chocolate chip cookie. (8/08) Little Big Man enjoying a massive mud fight! What was I thinking? (8/08)
Reaches Up gave it his all, too!
Ok, how come Scribe looks so clean?
Mountain Man with a couple of his princesses.

Can't leave out our Whistler

Whistler enjoys the slip and slide on our small patch of grass. 8/08
Whistler helping with Little Bit--what a wonderful big sister. 6/08

Especially for MeMaw and Grandma

Little Bit and Boo July 2008

Headin' Out...

Well, I'm writin' this here post at about 10:20 pm, durin' the few remainin' hours of Tuesday. We've purty much been workin' non-stop for most of the day, gettin' supplies ready for tomorrow's trek into the wilderness (well, jest 'tween you and me, the Mountain Man rendezvous be only 'bout half an hour from the interstate.) :)

Yep, tomorrow Mountain Man, Little Big Man, Reaches Up, and I will be a-goin' south to brave the unknown (then again, that might be a little bit o' exaggeratin' as our camp site is also a shootin' range for the local gun club! Ha!). The doin's will begin tommorow, but afore we start shootin', throwin' and the like, we get to do the fun stuff! Ya know, settin' up the tent, makin' sure we got everything (toothbrushes will be essential out there, ya know), and then gettin all worked up when somethin is found to be missin' from our packs... yessir, all that kinda stuff has to come first 'fore we can get to blowin' holes in targets and choppin' logs with edged weapons.

Today, though, we've been makin sure all's well in the victual boxes, lookin' over our cookin' gear to assure ourselves we got somethin' to cook our victuals on, puttin' edges on our 'hawks and knives, and so on and so forth.

And now I'll end this ramblin' talk o' mine so I can get ready for bed... wouldn't do for me to be half asleep in the mornin' and then get a talkin' to when I end up doin' somethin stupid, like throwin' my tomahawk at the the log when my brother's behind it!

After we get back from our little vacation, I'll post some updates an' pictures! :) We'll appreciate prayers for our safety and the protection of mom and the girls. And may we glorify Christ in all we think, say, and do.

- Scribe

funny fotos!

"Alright, the dress is fine, but isn't the hat a little much?"

"That's a very pretty dress..."

You might be wonderin' what in the world my title means, so before you folks write me off as a total lunatic, I'll do a bit o' explaining.
I had just finished my piano lesson and was getting ready to leave with my mom. My piano teacher had invited my mom (and Little Bit and Boo, who had come along) to come inside and sit down during the last few minutes of my lesson, and as I packed up my books and joined them, we said goodbye to my teacher. The teacher, noticing Boo's dress, complimented her, saying,"That's a very pretty dress."
Boo grinned her usual sheepish grin, and then, without any prompting, began twirling the ends of her hair, in usual girl-like fashion. The teacher said, "Yes, you have pretty hair, too."
Boo giggled and started walking after me and mom, not watching where she was going, but staring over her shoulder at the teacher. Everything went fine until... DONK! Boo's head and the side of the front door collided when she wasn't looking (talk about not knowing what hit ya').
Evidently, the sudden effect of wood meeting noggin knocked every ounce of vain attitude right out of her. Boo's grin disappeared and in its stead was a look of confusion and embarassment, and rubbing the side of her head ruefully, the little girl finally turned around and looked at the path her feet were taking her.
Obviously if any o' ya'll know the usual personality of little girls, you'd know that this lesson probably won't have any long-term benefits to Boo, and I've no doubt that she'll be doin' somethin' silly like that in the not so distant future. But perhaps she'll pay a bit more attention to making sure there are no solid objects in her way before she walks again without lookin' where's she's goin'. :)

-Scribe

Three in a Row

It's a girl! The perinatologist told us at yesterday's ultrasound that this precious Poff baby is a girl. We're very thankful that everything looks good, and I don't have to return for another ultrasound until 28 weeks. So now the question is--do we stick with the "E" names (even though that was never intentional) or go with a completely different letter? We'd love to hear your thoughts and will be sure to take your recommendations lightly! :) We'll post later about the amazing mercies God revealed at this ultrasound.

Love,
Queen Mom

Finally!

Greetings family and friends! We've finally set up a blog. We'll post pictures and happenings and doin's (that's a mountain man word) as we enjoy this wonderful life God has given us. Let us know what you think!

Love to you all,
The Poff Clan

Mountain Man
QueenMom
Scribe
Little Big Man
Whistler
Reaches Up
Boo
Little Bit