Paleontologist Fun

Whew! It's been a while since I posted on here, hasn't it? 

To be honest, I was kind of struggling for a while with what to write. I had ideas, but I kept wondering if it was really that interesting to others. But sometimes a little break is nice and you come back refreshed and revitalized--and that's the way I feel about this blog right now. Super excited to get back into posting, even if they're short little things like this one is going to be. :) The style of my posts might be a little different now, but...I'm not going to tell you what exactly I mean by that. You'll just have to wait and see. ;)

Bike Ride to Kenbuchi

Good afternoon, everybody!

A few weeks ago Abigail and I went on a bike ride with two of our brothers to a nearby small town, Kenbuchi, and back, which ended up being about a three and a half hour bike ride. Yes, we did stop for lunch part way, lol! It was a lot of fun, and I videoed during different parts to make something kind of like a vlog for you all! :) 

Week of Pictures: Chocolate Factory and Volcanic Lake

Howdy!
Hope you all are having a wonderful Father's day with your dad. :)
A couple weeks ago we took a family trip one Friday down to Sapporo where we explored a chocolate factory. It was a lot of fun, especially since the buildings and grounds were so whimsical and old fashioned! :)

Taking for Granted

I am working on getting the next picture post up, but I wanted to share some thoughts I had. :) 

Last Friday, we traveled to the big city on our island, about four hours south, to enjoy exploring a famous chocolate factory. 

Week of Pictures Six-- And then Spring Came

Howdy! I'm here with my long overdo week of pictures. :) 

I'm feeling pretty excited with summer coming on! We actually broke records here in Shibetsu for hottest April-- it got to 77F here this week, which is crazy! Our summers are always mild compared to many places, so it came as a surprise to us all. :P 

Josiah's 10th Birthday!

Hello! :)

Another birthday has passed...this time it was Josiah's! He turned ten years old! 

Zebulun's Birthday, Daddy's Return, etc

Hello! I hope you are having a beautiful day! :)

First off, I want to thank everybody who wished me a happy birthday. It made me really happy and was very special. Thank you! :)

Last Sunday was Zebulun's birthday. He could not wait to open his presents. :D Victoria made him a vanilla cake.

Month full of Birthdays

You may know by now that our family has three birthdays in March-- Abigail's was on the 6th, Malachi's the 17th, and tomorrow, the 22nd, is Zebulun's. 

As for me, I'm having a blast, because it means I get to make three cakes almost all at once! :) I really enjoy making cakes so it's a lot of fun for me! :) 

Week of Pictures, 2

Well, a bit more than a week, I'm afraid, lol! So I have a bunch of pictures to show you. :)

Days of January, Abigail style :)

Konnichiwa!
I hope you are having a wonderful Sunday and beautiful one as well. :) The sun is starting to stay out a little longer now....



A couple mornings ago, it was all misty outside and looked quite cold. So, I opened up the window to snap a few pictures.

Week of pictures 1

Hello! 

We have enjoyed reading the responses to the survey. :) Thank you for doing that for us! If you haven't done it yet, it's still up for you, so don't hesitate if you want to do it! :) 

We have several posts lined up, but you'll have to forgive us if they are slightly slower in coming-- we're in the middle of an exciting project! Daddy and us girls are in the process of finishing our room. We have been busy and enjoying doing that! :)

I thought I would share my photos from the first of January to the 6th. I know it's not a full week, but I have a couple extra, so it kind of makes up for that. ;) 

"Thankful"--Brother's handiwork

By request from various readers, we will be showcasing our brothers "Thankful" projects. :) I think they all did a great job, and were very creative! 

Campfire, missionary style!

The day before my birthday, Daddy got this rather spur of the moment idea to have a cookout. He took the legs off our little grill and the boys put rocks around it so we could have a quick "fire pit" type thing. It made the grill look a lot more campfire ish that's for sure!
Our neighbors probably wondered why we didn't get out more than a couple times this summer and now that it could snow any time we're out there all evening in coats cooking marshmallows, lol!

Windy at the beach--our visit to Teshio

When most people think of going to the beach, they picture a cloudless blue sky, bright sand, and lots of sun. So it's rather funny that most of the times I've been to beaches in my life the day has been beautifully gray, to match the water, and the sand is black. And the water is frothy and cold.

Healthy Shortcake Dessert

Hello!
Today I'm going to be sharing a recipe we have been enjoying frequently. We have used it for dessert, (with company or when just our family) and we have even used it for breakfast once and as part of a supper.
We really like it, and I'm looking forward to trying even more variations of it!

Healthy shortcake dessert:

Oven: 450
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time:15-18 minutes
Servings: dessert sized for 14 (or large servings for 8)

Ingredients:
Fruit (see below for variations)

For the shortcake-
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 cups whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup butter/margarine
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup milk

For the whipped cream-
2 cups whipping cream
Brown sugar to taste....about 4 tablespoons, maybe.
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

For shortcake-
1. Stir together sugar, flour, and baking powder
2. Cut in butter/margarine till mixture resembles course crumbs
3. Combine egg and milk in a separate bowl
4. Add all at once to dry ingredients
5. Stir just till all of it is moistened
6. Spread in greased pan --we have used square cupcake pans, (26 squares), or a large rectangle cake pan--
7. Bake for 15-18 minutes or till toothpick comes out clean

For whipped cream-
1. Mix ingredients together
2. Beat till peaks form


We have done mixed berries (blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries)




We have also tried peaches.


A normal recipe of shortcake calls for sugar to be added to the fruit, but we feel it doesn't need it at all! :) This dessert's sweetness is subtle but delicious.


Of course you can use strawberries, and we are wanting to try pineapple with coconut added into the shortcake.
Here are some random pictures... :)
Playing baseball as a family....


Playing 3Times Kickball with some missionary friends (such a blast!!)


I would also like to showcase a LEGO creation of my brothers. The other night, they brought this out and started playing with it. I was tickled by it and told them it was blog worthy! ;)
LEGO checkerboard with heads for one sides pieces and cones for the other side. When a piece becomes a King they get to put a cap on.








I thought it was pretty creative of the boys to make this so they could play it! :)

I hope y'all are having a lovely day, and if you try the shortcake, write a comment below and let us know what you thought of it!

Victoria

O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. Isaiah 25:1