Lots of Helpers

January 2019 Photos

March 17, 2019 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Whew…I’ve been getting a bit behind. I really don’t recommend taking a three-week trip overseas in the middle of summer, then trying to jump right back into school and preserving the harvest when you get home, if you want to stay on top of things. And then, of course, pregnancy to add to the mix…and a three-day trip to the other side of the island last weekend…well, anyway, here are the last few photos from January. Sometime this week I hope to look through memory cards again so I can start catching up on everything that’s been happening since the middle of February!

The canoe got its last strips inserted, and Mr. Intellectual finished sanding the outside, before we left. They got the fibreglass they need to cover it, but haven’t started that process yet.

When we see an escort vehicle go past with an “Oversize Vehicle” sign on it, we usually watch to see what is coming. Usually, we see a large digger (excavator), but sometimes it’s something more exciting, like this bulldozer from a gold mine near Reefton. This machine is HUGE!

Here is a more common sight. I think a little boy was experimenting with my camera to see how he could best get pictures of vehicles going past.

This was one of our first harvests of zucchini. Isn’t it pretty? We’ve had many times more than this with subsequent harvests; I’m very happy with a number of the crops from the garden.

Here is a bellbird, as the flax blossoms were coming to an end.

One day, the boys picked a bunch of peas from a neighbor’s field, after he offered us what we wanted. The boys spent the morning building a pea sheller. It worked well—for a few minutes. Then, something stripped out and they finished the job by hand!

We sure enjoyed the kittens before they went to new homes!

And on the Home Front…

March 9, 2019 by NZ Filbruns 2 Comments

My sons who stayed home from America had quite a surprise for us when we came home. I thought they were joking when they talked about building the bunkbeds in their room which I had suggested some time ago—but they actually did it! I was very impressed.

On the other side of the room, they built a closet to store their clothes and other belongings. This takes the place of some shelves that used to hang above a bed, which I always thought was a bit dangerous, and a couple of dressers. There are a lot of shelves inside this closet. The room feels much larger now, and the boys have room to have a table at which they can play games or build models. So nice! They were very excited to show it to us when we arrived home; I had to look in the window at it before I even came into the house! They also installed a light in the kitchen that I’d been wanting, to replace a fixture I hated.

They also had time for some fun. A few days before we came home, they went fishing with a friend two evenings. He has a Kon Tiki, or longline, for fishing in the ocean. A small motor pulls the line out, and then another reels it in. They didn’t have a camera, but Gayle took a few pictures of their catch with his phone. These are mostly sharks, which are fairly good eating.

Photos En Route…and More From Michigan

March 2, 2019 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

When I looked at my childrens’ memory cards, I found some interesting pictures taken on the way to and and the way home from America. I also found a few more taken in Michigan that I wanted to share! So, here you are.

This was on our first flight, from Christchurch to Auckland, when everyone was fresh and excited!

I could see Farewell Spit from my window as we flew north. I’ve seen pictures of it at low tide, but it was apparently high tide this time—quite different!

This was one of the interesting planes we saw on the tarmac in Auckland. I don’t know what airline it is, but the artwork on it was spectacular!

Our first glimpse of snow on this trip came as we approached Chicago.

My boys were fascinated with all the big planes parked at the International Terminal in Chicago.

They also liked the diversion, during our four-hour layover in Chicago, which turned into five hours when the flight crew got held up in traffic, of watching luggage being loaded into the belly of our plane.

As we traveled home in our van across the mountains from Christchurch to the West Coast, we had to stop on the way down from Arthur’s Pass, because there are a couple of one-lane spots still from a major storm in November. We were amused by the tourists in front of us—two people jumped out of their cars to take a picture of this waterfall—so one of the boys took a picture of them taking a picture!

On the Sunday we were in Michigan, we drove to Ludington after church to see the ice at the breakwater. I’ve never seen the lake so high against that breakwall! We decided not to attempt walking out on it.

There was a lunar eclipse that night. Some of us were still awake to watch it reach totality. We tried to wake some of the others up, and they groaned and rolled over. One of those, who shall remain nameless, came into my room a few hours later, still in the wee hours, and asked me when the eclipse was happening—he was quite unhappy to have missed it, and said we should have shaken him. We had.

And, to wrap this up, here are a few more shots of snow-deprived little people enjoying a rare treat!

Trip to America—Ohio

February 23, 2019 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Our first two days in Ohio were great; we spent the time with Gayle’s entire family. Then, we got hit with a stomach bug. My children hadn’t had something like that for six years (since we were in America another time!), and had very little immunity to it; the youngest had never had anything like it. Suffice it to say, the rest of our time in Ohio was not very fun, and we ended up canceling almost all plans.

The first day we were there, my boys helped their cousin haul some hay.

We got several pictures from the family gathering, but most had other people in them. Here are a few I can share! This little girl wrapped tissue paper around herself for a “skirt.”

This was the first boy to get sick. He spent a miserable afternoon while the whole family was still there.

While we were in Michigan, my sister received a gift that was shipped in a large box full of cornstarch packing peanuts. I took the box with us to Ohio, and the boys spent a day or two making wonderful creations by sticking them together with a bit of water. Here are some of the things they came up with:

Mr. Sweetie built this boat.

Mr. Imagination made these boats. Mr. Diligence made something quite creative, too. I can’t remember now what it was, and when we took the pictures he was sick so I didn’t get a photo of his.

My sister-in-law with whom we stayed made a batch of play dough for the children. The little boys spent hours and hours over a few days playing with it, with her toy kitchen set, and when Little Miss recovered from her sickness she spent every spare minute playing with it, too! I’m thinking I need to find her a kitchen set.

My boys loved ice skating; they went twice. Each time, two were well enough to go and one had to stay back, but they all got to go at least once. These two enjoyed cleaning off their aunt’s porch and walk one day after a fresh snowfall!

So there you have what I can share here of our time with family! I’m hoping to get back into a routine of posting every Saturday again, now that we’re recovered from jet lag and I’m not so tired from pregnancy anymore. Yes, we’re hoping for a new addition to the family in about six months! We’re very thankful for the prospect of a new baby, and when we got to hear the heartbeat this morning it was very thrilling to know that this little one is alive.

We’re Home!—Photos From Michigan

February 14, 2019 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Six of us arrived home late last week after a three-week visit to Michigan and Ohio, visiting family (the other three stayed home to take care of things here). It was a wonderful trip…and an awful trip…and we enjoyed it immensely…and we’re very glad to be home! The time spent with family was wonderful. The stomach bug that laid all of us low for our last week and a half, and which came home with us to infect a couple of the ones who did such a wonderful job taking care of things here, was awful. I don’t have a lot of pictures I can share, because most of the ones we took are of other people, but there are enough to make a couple of posts. I’m always amused at some of the pictures my sons take!

Either the first or second day in Michigan, my mom and I both wanted a nap, so I sent the three boys outside to explore the farm I grew up on. I gave them guidelines so they wouldn’t get lost, and they had fun finding the creek and the woods. Mom’s cat followed them the whole way! There was no snow, but it was very cold; they had fun sliding on the ice.

The wedding was beautiful; I really appreciated the simplicity of everything, and it was so good to see my sister making her vows to a good man.

The little ones enjoyed playing with Grandma’s toys.

It started snowing in earnest, and got very cold, after the wedding. My boys loved playing in the snow! We enjoyed watching the birds come to the feeder.

When I stripped my bed to put on fresh sheets, I recognized the mattress protector! It was one of two Hudson Bay Company blankets that were in the house when my parents bought it in 1972. I had to call the children in to see this bit of history. It’s not in the best shape anymore, but still works as a warm underlay!

Our trip to Ohio started out very snowy, with slick roads. After seeing 9 accidents, we were thankful to get south far enough to have drier roads!

Book Review—Eve in Exile and the Restoration of Femininity

February 6, 2019 by NZ Filbruns 1 Comment

I wrote this review for our book reviews website, but it will be awhile till it is published there, so I decided to put it here for a couple of months first. This book is good.

Wow. Eve in Exile is an amazing book. I’ve rated it as one of my top ten for the year. I had never even heard about it before my daughter heard of it from a friend and got it while it was free on Kindle. I was in the mood for a nonfiction read at that point, so downloaded it onto my Kindle (we share accounts), and started it. I could hardly put this book down! No, it’s not a mystery or even really a story, but it certainly caught my attention and held it.

There are four sections to this book. After the introduction, which discusses the confused, muddled-up mess women find themselves in today, in which people don’t even seem to know what gender they are, the first section talks about two different ways women react to this mess. Some women virtually live a pretend life, trying to go back in time to when things were different. Others spend their lives chasing after fulfillment in the ways society tells them they will find it.

The second section was fascinating to me. It traces the history of feminism from the earliest roots of today’s movement, in the mid-1700s, to the present. It was amazing to realize that, from the very earliest days, the feminists were trying to destroy the family structure. They hated marriage, and they hated that men could have sexual freedom, while women had to deal with the consequences. That, of course, led to birth control and abortion. Another point that stood out to me was the constant anger and discontentment among the feminists. They were never happy with what they had, but always wanted more and more. One quote I marked says, “Whenever someone begins issuing demands to the universe about what is owed to them, we ought to be dubious. This is fundamentally at odds with biblical teaching on what is an obedient (and effective) response to injustice.” The author goes on to point out Christ’s reaction, and how He told His followers to respond, when things were not done fairly to us. After you read this section, you will never think of the feminist movement in the same way again.

The third section is the opposite of the second one—it is positive! What are we, as women, designed for? What is our role? We are to subdue and fill the earth, be a help to our husbands, and glorify God! Another quote: “Eve was created to help, not to be the commander in chief. Adam was not brought into the picture to be her sidekick, and she was not brought into the picture to live an independent life….” These four chapters are full of amazing thoughts. I appreciated this quote, which concludes this section, as well: “It’s worth noting, since conservatives have been known to miss this, that nowhere in Scripture are women, as a group, required to submit to men, as a group. Women are commanded to submit to their own husbands as to the Lord, nowhere are we required to submit to “men.” The author finishes with a couple more sentences about the beauty of true submission.

Section four, then, gives practical ideas for carrying out our role. Throw yourself into your job—caring for your husband, children, and home! Determine that you will learn to be good at what you have to do anyway, and challenge yourself “to use the task that’s been put in front of you as a way to learn more about God and the breathtaking world He has put us in….”Change the world by making the good attractive! Be the glory of your husband, and in doing that, bring glory to God. Wow. So much to live up to, to think about and put into practice.

I was blown away by the wisdom in this book. It is one I believe every Christian woman, married or single, should read. Reading this book has opened my eyes to some of the ways I have been affected by the culture that surrounds all of us, and given me a renewed vision for my life as a wife and mother. This is a book I want on my shelf in print so I can share it with other women! If you are discouraged or discontented with your role as a Christian woman, read this book and be encouraged.

WARNING: The author is quite frank about the sexual revolution.

Buy your own copy here.

I received no compensation for this review. I simply appreciated the book so much I wanted to share it. Links may be affiliate links.

New Year’s Tramp

February 2, 2019 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Gayle took the three oldest boys, and two of their friends, on a long tramp just after New Year’s Day. They started at Windy Point, and finished at Lake Taylor. They reckon they did 59 kilometers in two days—that’s a lot of walking over rough terrain! Unfortunately, Mr. Diligence forgot his camera, so the only photographic record of the trip is a few photos Gayle took with his phone, which are not very good but do help to preserve a few memories! This was a stop for lunch. They cooked 2-minute noodles.

Some scenery along the trail.

Resting along a stream.

They crossed four of this style of bridges.

Sometimes the track was easy….

…and sometimes it was not! This creek was a series of waterfalls, much steeper than the picture shows.

I went across the mountains the second day to pick them up, with the three youngest children. We stopped for 40 minutes at the beginning of the track and walked to the first swing bridge.

The Boyle River is so beautiful!

The road back in to Lake Taylor to pick them up was incredible! It took me well over an hour to drive the 35 kilometers on the dirt road. The scenery was amazing—when I could look at it! The road took most of my attention. I managed to grab one quick photo on a relatively safe stretch (I was driving very slowly) and got another on the way out. This is part of the Hurunui River.

Even though I have never seen my boys so tired, they loved it and want to do it again—but they say they will allow three days next time so they can enjoy it more.

Christmas at Lake Haupiri

January 26, 2019 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

For our family’s Christmas celebration, we took a picnic lunch and ate it beside the Haupiri River. Then, we went back down the road a couple of miles to the boat ramp into Lake Haupiri. The boys launched their barrel boat and spent the afternoon boating around the lake and playing in the water. I enjoyed sitting in a camping chair in the shade and looking at the scenery! The second picture shows Gloriavale, directly across the lake.

The Austin

January 19, 2019 by NZ Filbruns 1 Comment

Simon’s boss was given a 1953 Austin a month or so ago, and he didn’t want yet another old car to restore, so he gave it to Simon. Such a car must be stored under cover in this climate, so Simon went to town and bought supplies to build a carport for it. He and his brothers have been busily building.

The car came home a day or two later:

The boys played around with it but couldn’t get it going until a friend who loves vintage cars came over one evening. With his help, they got it to start. The next morning, I got a video of Simon starting it himself. Several days after that, the car had to be moved so firewood could be put in our carport (his wasn’t ready yet). The car is so small it would have been easy to push—but no, of course Simon had to start it and see if it would go! He got it to go forward, but can’t get it in reverse yet without stalling it. He also can’t run it more than a couple of minutes because the radiator isn’t hooked up.

Boats

January 16, 2019 by NZ Filbruns Leave a Comment

Mr. Intellectual continues to work on his strip canoe. He finally got all the strips glued together, and has been working on sanding it. It’s beautiful! Here it is nearly finished, and then with the last strip in place and part of the sanding done.

Meanwhile, the boys have been enjoying their barrel boat. Here it is after the first use, when they went down the Grey River.

This was the day they used it next, when we went down to the creek below our town with some friends to spend a Sunday afternoon in the water. They punted up and down the creek a number of times, but then that got boring, so they decided to sink it. The only way they could get it to sink was to take the plug out of the end and let it fill up with water—and even that took a long time!

Then, they used it on Christmas Day on a lake—I’ll publish a post in a few weeks about that. The most recent time they used it, Simon took Esther and one of her friends, and our two little boys, down the Grey River. They sunk it, and now they have to rebuild the motor—or dry it out, or something. It ended up quite dented, as you can see in this photo that Mr. Intellectual took to show someone.