The Wilkes Team is committed to living their lives in such a way so that others are drawn to Christ and God is glorified

The Fall Leaves Creative Memories

As the leaves were falling this autumn, some of the Wilkes Team put their minds together and came up with a creative idea. Our yard was covered with an abundance of leaves. We decided to make use of this wonderful resource.

Using rakes, we began creating trails that zigzagged back and forth all across the yard in what became a maze full of many trails and dead ends :-) .

After the raking, we played a game of freeze tag. During the A memorable evening with friends game, one person would go around and either open up or close trails making the game full of much adventure and unexpected’s.

It was a blast watching both the older and younger ones run up and down the trails having so much fun. We’re looking forward to next fall already!

 

Sarah in pursuit of Adam

Go Kenan.... ....Run Matthew..... You're Frozen!

Passing on the Farming Vision

Many years ago my Grandparents were raised on farms in North Dakota. Their life style back then included raising cattle, hunting birds ,raising chickens (up to 200), and many other things.  Grandpa said that on late nights he could often remember hearing the howls of coyotes on top of hay piles left out in the moon light after being recently gathered.

Both of our Grandparents really remember picking potatoes :-) . Up in North Dakota, many farms would grow acres and acres of potatoes. When it would be the time for picking, they would have a tractor go through all the rows and plow up the potatoes. After this, children from town, including our grandparents, would go and pick up many bushels of potatoes. For every bushel picked, they would earn 5 cents. That was a lot of money for them in those days.

We have been looking forward to having Grandpa and Grandma join us for a day at our land. They have played a key role, through their stories and ideas, in creating within us a love for farming and living in the country. For Fathers Day this year, we gave Grandpa a special gift: an invitation to join us for a day on the land.

A Tour of the garden Talking with Grandma about Potatoes

Daniel shows Grandpa the tomatoes Farmer Grandma!

Uh-oh - looks like some burr comb that needs to be cut off Two generations of farmers: Grandpa & Kenan

The Thursday was set and Grandpa & Grandma came out for  the day! How we enjoyed hearing them talk about their   childhood farming adventures as we walked through the Grandpa cutting up his fruitgarden, drove through the orchard, ate a scrumptious dinner (including some fruit  freshly cut by Grandpa), and watched the Gearing up for a hay ride and farm toursun set. It was extra memorable having Grandpa and Grandma join us for an inspection of the bee hives. The Lord blessed our time together and we look forward to spending more time out there with them in the future!

Bird Watchers’ Dream!

DSCF9045 For those who like to go bird watching or to attract different species of birds to their feeders, here is an idea you will enjoy!

Besides watching the birds, we also enjoy taking pictures of them as they eat and interact with each other. But there DSCF9072was a problem, it is hard to get real close with the birds and our cameras don’t zoom in real far. A couple weeks ago we came up with a creative idea for getting as close to the birds as possible.

We began by first pulling down the window in our bed room and from the roof line above hung a suet and regular DSCF9084seed feeder. Using a small plastic container, we also made a place on the window sill for bird seed. The container keeps the birdseed from flying away. A few branches were also hung off the window so the birds have another place to perch before grabbing a seed. Then off we went to Wal-Mart to grab a bag of seed. After pouring in the bird seed, we waited patiently.

One late afternoon while reading in my IMG_0581bed, lo and behold, a Chickadee jumped on the little feeder and took a seed just before flying off again. Soon after that, many other birds such as the Tuft Titmouse, Cardinals, Nuthatches, Junco’s, Hairy and Downy woodpeckers, Finches, and many other birds.

The neat thing about this was that it clip_image002made it very easy for us to take pictures of birds. I have been able to take some really close up pictures. It sure is enjoyable to wake up in the morning and watch the many different types of birds near our window. Watching God’s creation in action each day is just amazing.

"The flowers appear on the earth the time of the singing of birds is come… (Song of Solomon 2:12)."

IMG_0571 DSCF9136

A Hunter’s Dinner

Our team of huntersVirginia’s large game hunting season ended January 5th. The men of our household were planning to go to a hunter’s dinner at a local church. This did not work out so we decided to have our own with everyone. Markie Dad's first deer ever - congratulations Dad!and I worked together on decorating the room with hunting gear. There were antlers around the table, arrows Decorations were hung around the roomon the wall, gun shells, and more. Markie was a big help!

Mom prepared a family favorite casserole of venison burger and vegetables. When everything was ready, we dressed in hunting gear and sat down for a scrum-dilly-licious meal.

Mom & the girls prepared quite a spread of food - thank you!We learned a lot of valuable lessons this year. Several people gave us advice on how to hunt better. As a result, this was our best hunting season ever.

Venison Burger Casserole

The center of the tableIn a 13×9x2 glass pan, spread 1 ½ pounds of ground venison, put in 2 small cans of green beans for the layer number 2, pour in 1-2 cans of tomato soup depending on how 3 of the mighty huntersrunny you prefer, and then spread about an inch of mashed potatoes on top. Sprinkle a little paprika seasoning for additional flavoring and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Hunting Endurance

One early morning this past December, Dad,Matthew,Daniel and I headed down to Culpeper to hunt. After an hour of driving, We all got out and headed to our hunting stations. Dad and I went to the tree stand.Daniel went to {persevere} Dad and Matthew with the deerthe blind and Matthew headed for the fox house. Daddy and I finally arrived at the treestand. While in the tree stand things kept falling and with all the noise, our hopes of seeing anything began to go down. The Lord prompted me to pray that His will would be done.

{persevere} Everone eagerly crowds around the truck to catch a glimpseNot long after (only about 5 minutes), I heard something running torward us. All of a sudden a large six point buck (almost 8 points) came into the clearing. Our guns were lying on the floor of the stand but Dad and I froze, not moving a muscle. The deer starred at us for about 30 secconds before going down to sniff the ground. Daddy then bent down to pick up his gun when the buck looked at us {persevere} Weighing the meat on the old scaleagain. Dad patiently stayed in the bent position until the deer looked away. Suddenly, it began to run, but right before it would of dissappeared, it stopped to look at us one more time. Daddy quickly fired his gun and the deer fell down right where it was. After processing {persevere} Each family member plays a special role in processing the deerit, we had almost 45 pounds of meat – our biggest deer ever! Watching Dad’s endurance, even when it was painful while standing in an awkward position, encouraged me.

Though therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 2:3

Endurance: The inward strength to withstand stress to accomplish God’s best.

Instant Home Made Ice Cream

{ice cream} All the tasty ingredientsLately, I have been trying out different recipes for ice cream. Here is one that I’d like to share with you. What is nice about this recipie is you do not need an ice cream maker.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup of milk (any type of milk should be fine)

2. 2 tablespoons of sugar

3. 1 teaspoon of vanilla

{ice cream} 2 Ice Cream lovers4. 3 cups of ice cube

5. 1/4 cup of salt (any type of will work)

6. Add any extra flavors at this time. We like to add either strawberries or crumbled oreos.

In a quart size ziploc bag, mix together the milk, sugar and vanilla. Seal the bag tightly, without leaving lots of air inside (If you are a little concerned about it leaking out, feel free to tape it up!). In a gallon-sized ziploc bag, mix the ice and salt. Place the sealed quart-bag inside the gallon-sized one.

{ice cream} Helpers hard at work!Now comes the teamwork part. For the next 10-15 minutes thoroughly shake the bags (the more the better). Continue until you have a milk-shake consistency. I have been blessed to have many helpers every time I make the ice cream. Everyone works hard for the tasty treat at the end. Usually, the end result is more like a milk-shake but still extra tasty!

Go Ye Up Into The High Mountain

{pikespeak} Welcome to Colorado Springs{pikespeak} View from Focus on the Family Headquarters 

{pikespeak} Another view of Pikes Peak from a stoplight in Colorado SpringsDuring our time in Colorado, Daddy and I were able to visit some neat parks and mountains. Our first stop on the trip was Colorado Springs. We spent 2-3 days visiting the area. One {pikespeak} The beginning of our cog train ride to the summitmountain that we went on was Pikes Peak. It is 14,115 feet tall and is the most visited mountain in North America (the second most visited in the world). We took a 1.5 hour ride on a cog train to the summit. There are only two cog trains in the United States. They are {pikespeak} The Cog Train Trackused because of how steep the mountains are. No other train could safely climb to the summit. On our trip up, we sat next to an elderly Christian couple who live in Missouri on a large farm. Hearing about their farm made us look {pikespeak} One of the many majestic views along the ride upforward to living in the country one day.

Because of the high altitude, we could not stay on the mountain top for more than 45 minutes. Otherwise we would begin to get sick. {pikespeak} The Rolling Rocky MountainsThe weather was much cooler (even in August), but the views were dramatic. There is no way such a beautiful scene could of been formed by evolution.

{pikespeak} The views from this mountain inspired the words to 'America the Beautiful'O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength: lift it up , be not afrad; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Isaiah 40:90 

{pikespeak} We made it!{pikespeak} The view from atop the mountain

A Few Good Links:

Hynes Family
Good friends from VA who are likeminded and have a joy in serving the Lord.
Paine Family
Serving the Lord in Chicago, the Paines have been an example of sacrificial service to our family.

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