Mulberry Farm

Christmas 2010

2010-01-13T22:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2010

2010-01-13T22:17:00.000-08:00

Summer 2009

2009-08-14T20:45:00.000-07:00

We have had company all summer. It has been so wonderful to have family and friends come to the farm. Matt's parents, then Rachel, Ryan, Ella, and Jack. Sarah surprised us with a two week stay. My parents came for a week and Jeffery Whittaker is here right now. We enjoyed a fun family camping trip and celebrated Elizabeth and Andy's wedding. Matt and I were able to spend a few days in Nauvoo, IL for two weddings on the same day. BBQ's and parties, musicals, Independence Day celebrations, and cousin sleepovers, it has been a full and wonderful season.

June 3, 2009

2009-06-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

I never put photos up because I don't know how and Mary is so busy with school and work, we haven't gotten together for her to show me how.
It's beautiful on the farm today. Breezy enough so that I don't get hot. The lilacs have come and gone. The June Bugs are here. We don't have chickens this year, so we are getting a lot of bugs. I am looking forward to fireflies!

2009-05-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

The Orr Family Campout June 2008

update

2008-11-02T19:49:00.000-08:00

I thought it was about time I updated my blog. So much has happened since April.
Rachel, Ryan, Ella (5), and Jack (11mo) moved to Gilbert, AZ. Rachel and kids came to Wisconsin for a couple of weeks at the end of June, beg. of July. We went camping in Western WI and celebrated the 4th in Columbus, WI. It's a quaint old town with a parade, carnival, and fireworks.
Sarah married Kreighton Reed last week. He is wonderful and we love him. It feels as if we have known him forever. His parents and 7 siblings came to the wedding. They are such a fun and sweet family. Sarah, Kreighton, Ethan (almost 5), and Matthew (2 1/2) are moving to Ketchikan, Alaska! We are sad to see them go, but happy that they have some great opportunities and adventures there.
Aaron, Jamie, and Lucy (15 mo) are moving to Oshkosh, WI. Aaron will be finishing his degree at UW Oshkosh. Aaron currently works for Matt while going to college. Jamie is working on finishing her degree in psychology.
Adam works for Matt here and there. He is still with his girlfriend of many years, Bethany. She will be going to Iraq in Feb 09. :(
Samuel works for a credit union. He has a lovely girlfriend, Francesca.
Elizabeth works for Herbergers (think Macy's) She works in Estee Lauder,Clinique, and fragrances. She is expecting a baby in March. We find out tomorrow if we prepare with pink or blue.
Mary is a junior in HS. Jacob is a freshman. Anna and Neinah are my only kids schooled at home. It's very nice...and quiet!
Matt bought a Nissan Z. It's a black convertible. He loves it. So do I!
Okay, you're caught up. At least to today. At some point I will learn how to download photos!

The Things We Take For Granted

2008-04-06T01:10:00.000-07:00

April 5, 2008

Today Mary and I did about 32 loads of laundry at the laundry mat. My washer broke down 8 days ago. Yes, I do approximately 32 loads a week. That is 4 loads per day (at least). I won't tell you what it cost, but let's just say I can think of a lot of other things I would have rather spent my money on. It took us 7 hours! Thank goodness Mary volunteered to help me.

It's amazing what we take for granted until it's no longer working. We have only two burners working on our stove. Of course, it's the two big burners. Ever try to boil a big pot of potatoes on a tiny burner? Or cook two dozen scrambled eggs? Our fridge is on it's last leg. It has lasted almost 18 years with only one repair. I went for 6 months without a dishwasher when we first moved to the farm. That was a treat. 10 kids equals a crazy amount of dishes! It took us up to two hours after dinner to wash dishes and clean up.

Ever been out of hot water? For days?! A few years back our water heater quit working. It took many calls to find someone who would work on our weird brand of water heater. (the previous owners had installed it) Then it was a few days before they could fix it because the parts were somewhere far, far away. We recently "lost" our toaster. It was sad. It was the Mickey Mouse toaster that our dear friends, the Whittakers, gave us. It made an toasted impression of Mickey on the toast!! We were without a toaster for about a week. I had to really think about how to toast some bread. I realized I could use the oven. Forget it. Too much work. I am spoiled.

Our microwaves have pooped out on us over the years. What a struggle that is. The kids are lost. How do you heat things up without a microwave???? Um, ever heard of an aluminum pie plate in the oven? Ah, the good ol' days.

We rarely ever think about our appliances (or cars, or tv's, or lawnmowers, or a working septic system, or sad to say, people) until they are suddenly not working, or...not there. I try to be appreciative. I stand under the warm shower and am very thankful to have warm water at the turn of a knob. I thank God for my blessings everyday. But I still find myself taking my appliances for granted.

Maybe this is a good object lesson for other much more important things that I often take for granted. Like my freedom and my country, my health, my husband, children, and grandchildren. My brothers and their families, my dad and mom, grandparents, and other extended family. For friends. For my religion. Unlike appliances, they are irreplaceable.

On Jay Leno the other night was a woman who is 102 years old. Jay asked her what she thought was the best invention she saw in her lifetime. I thought it would be air travel or medical breakthroughs....she said the washing machine. After today, I would agree with her!