My brothers have been working hard collecting tree sap and making maple syrup. This is a tree they cut down (without asking!) beside our house to use for fuel. I think they've made a little over a gallon of syrup so far. It's well worth it during the cold winter months to get a treat like that. The house is sweet with the smell of boiling sap.

This is the front to my hope chest! It's coming along nicely, though my dad and I are finding it hard to work on it often with our busy schedules. We still need to make the body and stain it all. My dad is a very good carpenter. He told me a story about how he was making my mom a hope chest (before they married) and one day he was working on it and my mom came over for a surprise visit. My dad was a little annoyed and flustered. Luckily she didn't find out, but she distinctly remembers that say when my dad didn't seem happy to see her.

We had a wonderful dinner tonight. Turkey wild rice soup with freshly made sour dough bread and Tapioca pudding for dessert. My mom can cook so well! Unfortunately Jed had a hard time eating, so most of his dinner got spread onto his shirt.

Yahweh bless!