Winter fun and news!

What a fun season it is … and it’s only just begun!!

We thought winter would be a time to slow down, but November and December just buzzed right along.

Bend Soap Company celebrated it’s official 1-year anniversary in December!  WOW!  What a year it was!  Starting from scratch, to this fun growing business … so exciting!  We are glad to keep producing wonderful, quality, natural products that you and your SKIN love.  The holiday scents were a HIT — Cinnamon Sugar and Apple Pie being the top sellers.  We also sold out of the festive Sleigh Baskets which we hope to bring back next year.  November and December were full of shipping out Bend Soap Company orders and restocking all our awesome retail stores in Central Oregon.  Bend Soap Company products were given as gifts all over the country this season!  So much fun! 

The boys have been helping out with Bend Soap, too. Burnell and Orin are champion milkers, while Chance and Ty have had the job of taking care of the younger goats.  In the office, Burnell loves to help pull orders for Kara.  And Wyatt loves to help restock the shelves.  Everyone else gets to help carry out boxes of orders each day. :-)  We love this fun family business.  We've had fun with pictures this season, too.  Right: Quint "smelling" a bar of soap.  He's so cute!  And, our little curly poster boy, Wyatt is now on our web and brochures.

Aside from that, they have been working on their school work, music (fiddle and piano), spanish lessons (Rosetta Stone rocks!), typing lessons, and other educational activities.  There’s always something to learn.  We have enjoyed this special time together as a family.  Summers often spread us out all over the farm, but in winter ... we're all cooped up together. :-)  Lots of time for games, our favorites including puzzles, cards, Battleship, Rummicub, Treasure Mountain, etc.

I'm in my 9th month, expecting another little Johnson baby in January.  We haven’t checked via ultrasound, so this little one will be a real surprise!  A 7th boy??  Or our very 1st girl??  The anticipation is quite high at the moment.  Quint is the only one who thinks it's a girl.  Everyone else is rooting for a boy.  Can't wait to see...  I've been pretty wiped out with this pregnancy and have found myself on more bedrest than I would have hoped.  Apparently I've overdone it all summer long. :-)  Super glad that Dwight has been around to help out.  He's amazing!!  He gets the troops up, makes breakfast, gets them on task, does dishes, goes shopping, changes diapers, reads stories, etc ... all while still handling business decisions, milking goats, making phone calls, attending his weekly 6am men's bible study.  He does it all ... so well!  The boys LOVE their awesome Daddy, and I couldn't be more blessed to have such a great leader at the helm.  Go Dwight!  Thank you for taking care of us so well.

On beautiful winter mornings after a fresh SNOW, you can find the boys bundling up before breakfast and racing outside to play in the snow.  I love their eager, enthusiastic, adventuresome spirits!  Building snowmen, sledding down the awesome hill behind the house, eating icicles, bouncing on a snow-laden trampoline, or having Daddy pull them behind the quad (the ultimate fun!).  They've also been little workers when it comes to stacking firewood.  Burnell and his crew drive the golf cart back and forth to stack the wood Daddy has split.  Growing into little workin' men!  

Next post should be baby news ... :-)

Thankfulness ...

At times I am overwhelmed with feelings of thankfulness.  Thankfulness for what the Lord has done.  And, thankfulness for those he has put in my life.  I do not know where I would be ... perhaps on an entirely different path.

I am also thankful for the men and women that have gone before me and faithfully taught me from God's Word.  Taught me to love my husband, to cherish him, to minister to him, serve him - with a self-less love.  Taught me to honor him and obey him.  Taught me to yield "submit" to him and his leadership.  So thankful for these truths that have kept me walking towards my Dwight.  So thankful for our 9+ years of marriage, with its ups and downs ... but its eternal rewards.

I am also thankful for those who have taught me to desire children, and to live my life in such a way that they are nourished, developed, and treasured.  It's not always the easiest route for me to take, and I certainly have not "arrived" as a parent, but it is the most rewarding path ... and I keep pursuing it.  So thankful for the wisdom of mothers and fathers who point me back to the Word, who remind me of the glorious undertaking of raising these little men. I am blown away by what the Lord has done in my life - through these little blessings.  Who would have imagined???  I certainly have not planned my life this way.  Soooo thankful!

I am so thankful, and should you need or want similar encouragement, I want to share their wisdom with you, too. There are several other places for encouragement, too, but these are the ones I regularly return to.

www.nogreaterjoy.org  No Greater Joy is full of family resources, bible studies, child training info, marriage info.  I look forward to getting their free magazine every few months.  Such an encouragement!!

www.aboverubies.org  For mothers ... so encouraging to hear from these ladies on nutrition, mothering, being good wives, etc.

www.aholyexperience.com  Ann Voskamp's site.  I don't frequent it much, but it has some good encouragement for when I'm going through a slump.  Remembering thankfulness!!

www.club31women.com  A blog by Lisa Jacobson.  Encouragement for mothers, wives.  Marriage and family tidbits that make me smile.

Wonderful Books!!
One Thousand Gifts - by Ann Voskamp (a lesson in thankfulness, trust, walking with God)
100 Days of Blessing - by Nancy Campbell (practical, daily refocusing for mothers)
The Power of Motherhood - by Nancy Campbell (changed my vision for my life)
Created to be a Help Meet - by Debi Pearl (helps me remember how to love and serve my man!)
The Love Dare - Kendrick (helped retrain my thinking about unconditional love)
Large Family Logistics (help with the practical day to day stuff in a family)

Also, great sources of wisdom come from my dear friends and family who also love the Lord and have walked before me.  Paula Johnson, Jenise Johnson, Lisa Voetberg, Catherine Leavitt, Blance Tadlock, Dauna Johnston, Heidi Kalebaugh ... you are all so encouraging and ministering by your examples and your words.  Very blessed to know you and learn from you!!

The WILD summer!

It was a summer of FUN!  A summer of PROJECTS, PREP, and PEOPLE.  Summer was soooo packed, that I couldn't make it onto this blog thing to post.  But, alas, a few moments of reprieve in which to update our interested friends of the happenings in our lives.  If YOU are just such an interested person ... read on. :-)

Oh, the PROJECTS .... Not a moment to rest around here.  Once the irrigation water comes on in April, its full-time water maintenance on this expansive grassy property.  Dwight and the boys handle the wheel lines ... the boys getting hands-on training every day.  Burnell has become Dwight's right-hand man when it comes to moving the lines all the way back (each week or so). Hand signals have to be followed precisely and timing is of the essence.  Burnell has really stepped up.  So fun to see him turning into a capable young man.

For some time now, the sagging roof in this mobile has needed to be dealt with.  However, life being what it is ... the project always winds up low on the priority list.  Until this summer!!!  The remodel project happened ... right before Camp!  Phase One (the living room) was done -- wood floor installed -- the night before Camp.  Whew!  Furniture moved back in, guest rooms readied ... Ah!  Then, a few days after camp, we began Phase Two (the next room).  With our consistent rapid pace and hurried life, we rushed through the project, staying up late painting, then laying carpet the day before our company arrived.  We then moved ALL the rooms around, furniture and belongings (Dwight and I to the new room, downstairs, they boys upstairs, and the guest room to the back). All this was done ... in a hurry!   We are still rearranging and settling in ... as is to be expected.  However, the remodel is almost done (a few trim pieces and painting left) and everything in its new place.  What an amazing difference it makes in this home.  Everything feels so much more cozy and insulated.  Loving it!!!

We've stayed pretty close to home this year (other than Dwight's travels with Bend Soap Company).  We did make one trip up the Dufur for a friend's wedding, and one blueberry picking trip with a stop off at Sahalie Falls.  Other than that, life has been so full and we have enjoyed you coming to us.  So fun to catch up with Daniel and Genevieve and their children.  My family from CO, MA, and CA all visited, and I got to meet my nephew, Reed Puckett, for the first time.  So much fun to have my family around.

It's been a summer of growth for our boys, as well.  Jumping off the roof onto the trampoline has been taken to the next level.  Now, back flips, front flips and all sorts of acrobatics are performed.  A summer by the pond has produced more efficient swimmers.  So much fun to be had!  

Milking and feeding the goats has become an official daily responsibility for the entire crew.  Each morning and evening, they all "load up" on the quad and head up to the goats.  Each "man" has his duty -- Burnell milks Chewy, Orin milks Patches (our new goat), Dwight milks Skitso, while Chance and Ty give grain to the doelings.  Then, they all feed together.  They've become quite the efficient team.  So proud of them!

Dwight has been wanting to take the boys camping all summer ... and they finally went!  Pretty sure it got down to freezing.  They had a blast!!  Apparently we have some interested fishermen in the family.  They spent hours learning how to cast, untangle their lines, recast, untangle, recast. :-)  Dwight said they loved it so much that when they came home, they had to go buy some more gear and then head out again to a different spot.  How fun!  Hoping they actually catch fish next time. :-)

It's about time to put up the hay again, and we've begun school again.  Enjoying the coziness of our "new" home.  Looking forward to a beautiful fall season (my favorite).

Family life

I woke up this morning early, thanks to Wyatt.  A project that has been awaiting me for 6 months beckoned me from the guest room, where I keep my sewing machine all set up.  Using left-over pieces of jeans (the ones that couldn't be patched!), I quickly made up my little piece of art.  What fun to feel domestic to the fullest!  I even had to rethread the machine real quick.  The fact that I can now do this task "real quick" means that I've been spending more time at my sewing machine.  I love this knowledge!

Earlier this week, I found that I had some "stuff" to do on the computer.  During this time, Chance, Ty, and Quint decided to play in the laundry/pantry room.  Their first plan, was to remove everything off the shelves so they could have "beds."  Hmmm...  Then, they brought all the blankets off their beds into this small space to help with the project.  They had a blast!

This little smiley guy just never stops smiling!!! I'm so blessed by his giggles and love.  Wyatt Courage is a delight and a gift to this home!  He just got his 7th tooth today with more to come.  He's eating solids now and finally added goat milk (via a bottle) to his diet.  Wyatt turns 1 year old next month!  Can't believe its been a whole year since he was born in Hawaii.

Spring is a coming ... and we'll be ready!

So, its usually around this time of year (when the chill wears off and we get a warm spell) that we all get excited to start running again.  Yes, it is a fair-weather sport in this house. 


But, one look at everyone's shoes, made us realize that we were in dire need of some new attire for our feet.  Orin runs in Converse.  Dwight has holes in his shoes.  I'm sure you agree ... its time.


Nevertheless, these hardcore runners stretched and ran.  This was Chance's first time on the "training" runs.  Dwight and the older 2 boys used to run when we were in Hawaii (ahhh - memories!).  Now Chance joins the crew.

The highlight of this blog post ... Check out this video of yet another fun family moment. :-)  Quint is adorable!  After much ado (months and months of begging from the boys - mostly Burnell), we finally did the unthinkable!  It was a time to remember. Which is why we wanted to share it with you. :-)

The boys are excited to work on a new project this summer.  They have completely orchestrated this project on their own (with no encouragement from us).  First, they dragged it out of the stall in the stables, hosed it off, wiped it down, and then pushed it out.  Then, they pushed it around the stables, past the arena and UP the huge hill ... all on their own!!  It was one of those moments ... seeing them all working together to an end of their own liking.  Super exciting.  Hope Wade doesn't mind them tinkering on his old go cart.

Our New Business - All Natural Goat Milk Soap

I'm sure you've heard!!!  We have started a new business!  I want to officially introduce you to Bend Soap Company, the best soap in town!  Check out our website, hear the story, read about everything, and place an order if you like. www.bendsoap.com

Dwight started playing around with making his own goat milk soap last summer.  He made 3 batches -- one Oatmeal/Honey and one Unscented and one Peppermint.  We waited for 4 weeks until we were able to try that very first bar.  So exciting ... finally the day came.  We were blown away by how soft our skin felt and how amazing the lather was.  It was great.  But, the most amazing part was how Chance's eczema was helped.

We gave out several samples and found that people loved the product and wanted more.  So, he made more ... lots more!  I designed a website and he bought some larger soap-making equipment and voila!

Now, only a few months since our "soft launch" date, we see that we are outgrowing ourselves already.  We now have several "helpers" making the soap.  We just brought on an SEO/Social Media guy.  We have someone helping to update our photos and graphics.   And, we are moving into the next phase.  Super exciting!

Orin loves the smell!

The boys love helping out.  Just recently, they helped Grandma Gail paint our office and move all the labeling, packaging and shipping stuff in there (since we outgrew the table in the living room).  Burnell can read the labels and help pull orders now.  Super fun!

 Our first Sales Training Meeting went well.  We had 5 young adults come and get training on how to present.  Dwight - with all his awesome sales experience, uses humor, Cutco sales methods, etc.  We love sales!

The amazing cook off!!!

8 casserole dishes, 6 pots, 16 cups of freshly ground whole wheat, 5 lbs of organic beef, 1 gallon of fresh goat milk, 8 lbs of cheese, 5 lbs of chicken, several cans of tomatoes, olives and sauces, and 8 hours later ... we have successfully made 14 meals and 6 loaves of bread.  That should last us for 2 weeks.  I'm excited about not having so many dishes and cleanup each day.  Big thank yous to Rachel, Naomi, and Esther Z for all the help.  I leave the room and the meal prep continues!!  Such amazing help!

And, while all this was happening in the kitchen, Grandma Gail was busy painting our back room.  She engaged many little helpers who all declared "I love painting!!" when the job was done.  She had them edging and rolling.  Chance showed me the particular technique of rolling up and then pushing on the way back down.  Wonderful! 

Our treat ... a homemade marionberry protein shake - complete with homemade kefir, fresh raw goat milk, and fabulous GNLD protein.